How many elephants were in the past?

In the past, there were several species of elephants, including the woolly mammoth and the straight-tusked elephant, which roamed various parts of the world. At their peak during the Pleistocene epoch, it's estimated that millions of elephants existed globally. Fossil evidence suggests that diverse populations thrived in different habitats, but their numbers significantly declined due to climate changes and human activities. Today, only three species of elephants remain: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant.