Elephants are uniquely intelligent, social, sensitive animals. A new study out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has illuminated these qualities and also revealed incredible details about elephants’ extraordinary adaptability.

Researchers have found that, despite differences in behavior and appearance, Namibian desert elephants and African savanna elephants share the same DNA. This implies that the behaviors that enable Namibian desert elephants to survive extreme conditions, such as triple-digit temperatures and water scarcity, are not a result of genetic mutations, but are, in fact, behaviors that have been passed down through generations. What this means is that these survival strategies are the product of the elephants’ innate ability to “learn and change their behavior,” according to the study’s lead author, Alfred Roca.

Of course, this doesn’t imply that elephants can survive any environment, no matter how hostile. Roca emphasizes that Namibian elephants’ adaptability should give humans all the more incentive to consciously conserve these animals. This is especially pertinent considering that desert elephants are rumored to be larger than their non-desert dwelling kin, putting them at greater risk of becoming trophy-hunting targets.

“Their knowledge of how to live in the desert is crucial to the survival of future generations of elephants in the arid habitat, and pressure from hunting and climate change may only increase in the coming decades,” said Roca.

Read more about the study here.