African Elephant
Loxodonta africana – The African elephant is the largest land mammal on earth. It is a remarkable creature, not only because of its size and bulk, but also because of its intelligence, memory, and behavior. The statistics surrounding the African elephant are as impressive as the animal itself: It is the world’s largest land mammal and has the longest gestation of any animal (660 days-nearly two years). An adult elephant can drink between 15 and 20 gallons (70 and 90 I) of water a day and eat about 330 pounds (150 kg) of food. Despite its size and weight, however, an African elephant can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) when charging or fleeing. The elephant’s distinctive trunk has many functions. It is used for feeding, carrying, spraying water or dust to cool itself, making sounds, greeting other elephants, threatening, stroking, and even as a pacifier for baby elephants to suck on. Elephants have long tusks made of ivory that they use for fighting and digging; they flap their large ears to keep cool in the African heat.
The Romans wrote about elephants living on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, but today African elephants can only be found on the savanna grasslands and forests south of the Sahara Desert. There they feed on the grasses and foliage, sometimes ripping trees out with their trunks and stripping them of bark and leaves. The female elephants (cows) live in herds with their calves and close female relatives. The herd is led by the oldest female elephant, called the matriarch. Male elephants (bulls) leave the herd when they reach puberty. They live alone or in small bachelor groups, only joining a herd again to mate. Elephants live for about 70 years. They are social animals and have been known to work together-particularly in times of danger-to help sick or injured family members. They are also thought to grieve for their dead relatives. African elephant populations have fallen quite dramatically. At the beginning of the 20th century there were many millions of elephants; in 1970 there were 2 million, and today there are probably fewer than half a million. They have few natural predators; their most dangerous enemies are humans. African elephants flap their large ears to keep themselves cool. This elephant is red from dust bathing-another way of cooling off.
Trade and Land
Ivory from elephant tusks is a prized material traditionally used to make carvings and jewelry. The trade in ivory began seriously in the 17th century, when Arab traders hunted elephants in West Africa. The invention of guns, and in particular the rifle, meant that hunters could kill animals more efficiently. African elephants are now protected in many countries, and there is an official ban on trade in ivory. However, there is still a strong demand for the tusks, and illegal poaching is widespread. Elephants are also threatened by loss of habitat. As the growing human population of Africa demands more land for expanding cities and for farmland, the elephants’ habitat has shrunk, limiting their access to food. This can bring them into conflict with humans, since elephants may be driven by hunger to raid crops. After pressure by conservation organizations the African elephant was put on Appendix I of CITES in 1989, banning international trade in the species and its products. However, several African countries want to continue trading to earn money for conservation. Conservation groups run projects in Africa strengthening elephant conservation through antipoaching patrols, education, and trade controls. They also work with local people to reduce conflict between elephants and humans and to promote the benefits of elephants to the local tourist industry.
Statistics of African elephant – Loxodonta africana
- Family: Elephantidae
- World population: Up to 543,000 Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa
- Habitat: Savanna grasslands; forests
- Size: Length: up to 16.4 ft (5 m); height at shoulder: up to 10.8 ft (3.3 m); males 10% bigger than females. Weight: male up to 6.7 tons (6 tonnes); female up to 3.3 tons (2.9 tonnes)
- Form: Huge gray-black body with columnlike legs, large head, large ears, long tusks, and a flexible trunk; little hair on skin
- Diet: Grasses, tree leaves, and bark
- Breeding: Breeds at 13 or 14 years old; gestation of nearly 2 years. Calves every 3-4 years in wet season. May live up to 70 years
- Related endangered species: Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
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