July Feature: Elephants The elephants we see today have been on the scene for some five million years. They are the only survivors of a once widespread group of animals with trunks, the Proboscidae, which produced more than 300 different species over a span of 50 million years. The surviving representatives of the Proboscidae are the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). The African species is the larger of the two, and is the biggest land mammal on earth. Male African elephants can grow up to 3.5m in height at the shoulder, have an average length of seven metres, and can weigh over six tonnes. The elephant's ivory tusks and prehensile trunk are its distinguishing features. Tusks are simply the animals' upper incisor teeth, which can grow to 2 or 3m long on old bulls. They are made of a unique mixture of dentine, cartilaginous material and calcium salts. Elephants use their tusks to pry bark off trees or dig for roots, and in social encounters as an instrument of display or as a weapon. They also have four molars which are replaced several times during a lifetime. Learn MORE About Elephants... Elephant Fact Sheet African Elephant Elephants and Ivory

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