An elephant's legs are like sturdy pillars, built to support its massive weight. Thanks to their straight structure, elephants require less muscle effort to stand, allowing them to remain on their feet for long periods without getting tired.

People are often amazed by how quietly an elephant can move through the bush. This is due to their feet, which have built-in shock absorbers—pads of fatty, fibrous tissue that cushion each step. Most of their weight is supported on the tips of their toes, with a fibrous pad under the heel. The soles of their feet are ridged and pitted, giving them excellent traction, which makes them surprisingly adept at climbing hills, mountains, and even cliffs. The circumference of an elephant’s front foot is about half its shoulder height, meaning you can estimate an elephant’s size and age based on its footprints. Their feet are also crucial for digging up roots, creating water holes, and navigating tough terrain. Much like human fingerprints, the pattern of ridges and fissures on an elephant’s sole is unique, and these designs can help determine an elephant’s age. Younger elephants tend to have more defined ridges, while older ones have smoother soles and worn-down heels.

The front foot of an elephant is round in shape, while the back foot is more oval. Researchers have found that elongated oval footprints typically belong to adult males. Bulls often leave a "double print" because their back leg tends to land slightly beside their front leg. Females, on the other hand, have rounder foot pads and usually step more precisely in the same spot with both legs.

Elephants have five toes hidden within the flesh of their feet, but not all toes have toenails. These nails are actually hardened shields on the skin rather than being attached to the digits themselves. Interestingly, African elephants typically have four toenails on their front feet and three on the back, whereas Asian elephants have five on the front and four on the back.

While elephants are excellent swimmers and climbers, they cannot trot, run, jump, or gallop. They have only one gait, a sort of gliding shuffle, but they can increase this to match the speed of a human sprinter. Elephants usually move at about 6 km/h but can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h when frightened or agitated. Few land animals can cover more ground in a day than an elephant.