African Elephant: Facts, Characteristics, Size, Predators, Lifespan, Behaviors, Diet, Habitats And Species
Overview About African Elephant Facts, Characteristics, Size, Predators, Lifespan, Behaviors, Diet, Habitats & Species: What are African bush elephants? – They are the biggest terrestrial mammal in the planet. This famous mammal has two recognized subspecies: the bush (or savanna) and the forest. The larger of the two, African bush elephants have curved tusks, whereas their darker, forest-dwelling cousins have straighter, downward-pointing tusks.
African Elephant 🐘 | Amazing Animals
Facts about the African Elephant
SCIENTIFIC NAME: LOXODONTA AFRICANA
LIFE SPAN: 60 TO 70 YEARS
GESTATION: ABOUT 22 MONTHS
WEIGHT: 2,000 TO 6,100 KILOGRAMS (ABOUT 2 TO 7 TONS)
HABITAT: OPEN AND CLOSED SAVANNA, GRASSLANDS, AND ARID DESERTS
PREDATORS: HUMANS AND OCCASIONALLY LIONS OR HYENAS
SIZE: UP TO 4 METERS (13 FEET)
DIET: HERBIVOROUS
Predators: Challenges faced by African Elephant
- Elephant poaching and demand for ivory are driving this mammal toward extinction: People have long coveted the huge ivory tusks on either side of their faces, which they use to search for food and water. Consumer demand for tusk-made goods drives the ivory trade, which is supplied by an advanced global network of traffickers. This revered animal is hunted down by poachers for its valuable ivory tusks, which are subsequently traded and used to make everything from jewelry and crafts to musical instruments and sacred artifacts. Populations could vanish from the wild within our lifetimes if poaching continues at its current rate.
- Elephant gestation and reproduction is a slow process: People have long coveted the huge ivory tusks on either side of their faces, which they use to search for food and water. Consumer demand for tusk-made goods drives the ivory trade, which is supplied by an advanced global network of traffickers. This revered animal is hunted down by poachers for its valuable ivory tusks, which are subsequently traded and used to make everything from jewelry and crafts to musical instruments and sacred artifacts. Populations could vanish from the wild within our lifetimes if poaching continues at its current rate.
Behaviors of African Elephant
African Elephant facts: the largest living land animals | Animal Fact Files
- Elephants have a very long nose, which also doubles as an arm: For breathing, smelling, drinking, trumpeting, and gripping objects, their trunk is a long nose. Additionally used for grooming, their trunks. Using their trunks, they groom themselves by dousing themselves with mud or water to stay hydrated. They can grip onto small objects with the help of two finger-like extensions on the tips of their trunks. Additionally, they constantly touch and caress one another while using their trunks to show their affection.
- They are friendly: These mammals, like humans, are social animals that live in tight-knit families, typically with an aging matriarch and several generations of female relatives. Once they reach adulthood, males dwell alone, occasionally in small groups of three or four bulls. They tend to weak or hurt members and even show signs of sorrow for the loss of comrades.
Diet: What do African Elephants Eat?
- They spend a lot of time eating: It should come as no surprise that these big animals like eating. Elephants spend the majority of their waking hours foraging for grasses, fruits, roots, and bark over vast distances. In a single day, they can consume up to 136 kilograms (300 pounds) of food and 113 to 190 liters (30 to 50 gallons) of water.
Habitats: Where do African bush elephants live?
They will survive in practically any environment that has ample food and water. Their populations are dispersed across Sub-Saharan Africa’s savannas. In protected land, they are found in about 70% of their range.
