Fewest toenails possessed by elephant

Although all elephants possess five toes on each foot, not all toes bear a toenail. The elephant with least toenails is the African bush elephant Loxodonta africana, which possesses 4-5 nails on each forefoot and 3 on each hind foot. In contrast, the Asian and the African forest elephants both possess 5 nails on each forefoot and 4 on each hindfoot. Interestingly, in 2011 a study revealed that each elephant foot possesses a kind of false sixth toe, which aids in maintaining the elephant's balance. It is not a true toe, however, as it is not a distinct separate digit. Instead, measuring 5-10 cm (1.97-3.94 in) in length, it is a long slender elongation of the sesamoid bone in the elephant's ankle. It had actually first been noticed over 300 years earlier, but had been dismissed as merely being cartilage, whereas in reality it transforms into true bone in adults.