Elephants from the Air (IMAGE) University of Massachusetts Amherst Caption A lead researcher in the recent Great Elephant Census across Africa, wildlife ecologists Curtice Griffin at UMass Amherst also evaluated counting methods. He says though one would think that an animal the size of an elephant would be easy to spot from a plane, factors such as herd size and habitat type can affect observers' ability to count these animals from 300 feet off the ground in a plane going 100 miles per hour. Credit Elephants Without Borders Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.