Elephants are the only four-legged mammals that cannot jump.

An adult African elephant can weigh up to 14,000 pounds. To carry this weight, their legs are positioned directly under their bodies like vertical columns. Most mammals have legs that act like levers to push them upward, but an elephant's ankles are very stiff and lack the 'spring' needed for a leap.Even when an elephant moves fast, it never actually runs. Scientists like Dr. John Hutchinson from the Royal Veterinary College found that elephants always keep at least one foot on the ground. This means their top speed of 15 miles per hour is technically a very fast power walk. Other heavy animals like rhinos can get all four feet off the ground for a split second, but elephants stay grounded.If an elephant did try to jump, the results would be painful. The force of landing would be 5 to 10 times its body weight. This could put over 60 tons of pressure on its joints, which would likely shatter its bones. To help them walk quietly, elephants have a thick pad of fat on the bottom of their feet that acts like a built-in shock absorber.