African elephant
- Class: Mammals (Mammalia)
- Order: Elephants (Proboscidea)
- Family: Elephants (Elephantidae)
- Genus: Loxodonta
- Species: Loxodonta africana
Size
The African savanna elephant, one of the two African elephant species, is the largest living land mammal weighing between 4 and 7 tonnes. It is generally larger in size and has larger ears than its Asian counterpart.
Ecology
The African elephant can cope without water for lengthy periods of time allowing it to travel to various different habitats. It is found in semi-arid areas and on savannas as well as swamps.
An elephant herd is usually led by an experienced cow - the matriarch - her adult daughters, their suckling calves and a number of older young. Young bulls leave the herd once they reach maturity at between 12 and 15 years old, and only temporarily join other bulls or family groups before returning to their solitary way of life.
Food habits
The African elephant is herbivorous so it eats most vegetable matter such as twigs, fruits and especially leaves.
Longevity
African elephants live for 50 to 70 years.
Reproduction
The rutting period usually begins during the second part of the rain season. The gestation period is 22 months, after which a single calf is born weighing between 90 and 100 kg.
Conservation status
One of the greatest threats facing elephants has always been human greed to acquire their tusks, i.e. ivory. With the exception of controlled ivory trade in southern Africa, sanctioned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) which monitors that no elephants are hunted or maimed in the process, a global ban on ivory export is in place today. The spread of human settlements increasingly encroaches on the habitat of elephants. In some protected areas, where elephants are considered to be too numerous, an alternative method to culling is adopted by relocation of individuals and expansion of reserve boundaries.
IUCN Threat Category:
Endangered.
