AFRICAN ELEPHANT
Loxodonta africana
MAMMAL
Order Proboscidea
- Description
Largest land mammal living. 20-24 ft long, 9-12 ft high at shoulder, weight up to 17,000 lbs; males larger. Color gray, but varies with soil color since elephants wallow and throw dirt on themselves. Thick, craggy skin sparsely covered wtih coarse hair. Back dips in the middle, large ears, trunk with two "fingers". Four front toes, three hind toes.
- Range
Africa south of the Sahara
- Status
This species was petitioned for uplisting from threatened to endangered in 1989, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided in 1992 to continue to classify it as threatened. Justification was based upon a reduction in the number of illegally killed elephants after the 1989 ivory trade ban by CITES. Import of African ivory into U.S. is prohibited. The Lincoln Park Zoo is a member of the Elephant SSP.
Conservation Spotlight:
Ecology
- Habitat
- savanna grassland and forests
- Niche
- herbivorous: eats mainly grasses; leaves, woody parts of trees and
shrubs, flowers, fruits and roots are also eaten. Adults need about 330
lbs of food and about 22 gallons water each day. Young preyed upon by hyenas
and lions. Herds follow the same paths over several generations resulting
in wide cuts through the bush. Bull and cow herds live apart; matriarch
herds have a complex social behavior.
Life History
Reproductive cycle corresponds to seasonal food and water supplies. Bulls
enter an aggressive condition called "musth" during rutting season.
Gestation 22 mo; birth weight about 265 lbs. Infant suckles with mouth 3-4
yrs. Maturity at 10 yrs+. Life span in the wild 15-30 yrs, in captivit@
60-80 yrs. African elephants do not have a continuous history as beasts
of burden but have been trained and used as such.
Special Adaptations
- Upper lip and nose elongated and muscularized to form a trunk which is used for feeding, pulling up vegetation, throwing dust, squirting water, as a snorkel, for vocalizations, and as an organ of touch, smell and communication.
- Prehensile "fingers' at end of trunk can pick up very small objects.
- Tusks can be used to force bark off trees, dig for roots, or as weapons.
- Large surface area of foot spreads great weight of animal over a wide area; thick padded soles absorb shock and cushion legs.
