Elephants at Kapama Private Game Reserve in South Africa

© Simon Eeman/Getty Image

Trunks stick together

In honour of Cousins Day, we’re looking at a pair of African elephants who seem to have nothing but love for each other. Elephants are matriarchal, meaning they live in female-led groups. The matriarch—usually the biggest and oldest—leads the herd that includes other females and their young, so a given herd is likely to be full of cousins.

Cousins Day is about celebrating the family bonds between first cousins and even distant ones. You probably know that your first cousins are the children of your aunts and uncles, but what about their kids? They're not your second cousins—they're your first cousins once removed (one generation removed). Your children and the children of your first cousins are second cousins. Got it?