Like all elephants, African elephants have a long muscular trunk. The tip of the trunk has two fingerlike outgrowths, one at the top edge of the tip and another on the bottom edge. Asian elephants have only one outgrowth at the tip of their trunk, along its top edge. In both species, these outgrowths enable the elephant it to pick up small objects and strip leaves from trees.
African elephants, like most elephants, require a great deal of food to support their large body size. They can eat up to 350 pounds of food each day and their foraging can drastically alter the landscape. The African elephant's predators include lions, hyenas, and humans.
The basic social unit in African elephants is the maternal family unit. Sexually mature males also form groups while old bulls are somtimes solitary. Large heards can form, in which the various maternal and male groups mix.
The main threat facing African elephants is hunting and habitat destruction. The species is targetted by poachers who hunt the elephants for their valuable ivory tusks.
- Mass: up to 7.5 tons
- Body Length: 6-7.5 m
- Tail Length: 1-1.3 m
- Shoulder Height: 2.2-3.7 m
- Diet: herbivorous (grasses, buds, fruits, leaves, roots, bark)
- Breeding Season: Births often coincide with rainy season
- Age at Sexual Maturity: 8-12 years
- Number of Offspring: 1-2
- Predators: lions, hyenas, humans, crocodiles (prey on young)
- Average Lifespan: 50-70 years (wild)
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Proboscidea
- Family: Elephantidae
- Genus: Loxodonta
- Species: Loxodonta africana
Range and Habitat:
References:
- Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. Animal. London: Dorling Kindersley. 624 p.
- Norwood L. 2002. Loxodonta africana. Animal Diversity Web. February 2, 2008.
- Parker, S. ed. 1990. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol. 4. New York: McGraw-Hill. 648 p.
