African Elephants, Facts, Diet, Conservation all you need to Know

African Elephants are the largest standing terrestrial species on the planet with an approximate population of 415000 in the wild distributed in over 37 African Countries with an estimated population distribution of 70% in southern Africa, 20% in Eastern Africa, 6% in central Africa and 3% in west Africa. These species are among Africa’s big Five due to the great importance they play a key role in their eco-system. African Elephants are members of the genus Loxodonta and one of the two living elephant species that’s the African elephants and Asian Elephants. The African Elephants are divided into two elephant species which are the African Bush Elephants scientifically Known as Loxodonta African and the African Forest Elephants known as Loxodonta Cyclotis and the most common being the African Bush (Savanna) Elephants. African Elephants are said to be at risk of extinction as in 2021 listed in the IUCN Red List, the Bush Elephant listed as endangered and the Forest Elephants listed as critically endangered.

Elephants are usually distinguished from other wildlife species by their size and truck that is used as a hand for holding objects and for communication, they can as well be identified by their large ears used to emit excess heat.

Difference between african bush elephants and african forest elephants

Both African Bush and Forest Elephants are herbivores with grey colored skin. They can be distinguished according to their sizes, color of the tusk and shape, size of the ears and skulls.

Bush elephants are larger in size compared to Forest Elephants, the tucks of Bush elephants’ curve outside while those of Forest Elephants are straighter and point down wards. In addition, Forest Elephants are darker than the Bush Elephants, the size and shape of the skulls and skeletons between the two species differ.

Forest Elephants are uniquely adapted to the dense forests of Congo Basins and Gabon and smaller populations in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana among others. while the African Bush Elephants are adapted in the Sub-Saharan Africa in forests, woodlands, wetlands, agriculture lands in countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Mali, South Africa etc.

Description of African Bush (Savanna) Elephants

African bush Elephants bulls have a shoulder height of 3.04 -3.36 meters (10.0-11.0 ft), Length of 19-24 ft and their body mass goes up to 5.2 -6.9 tonnes (11 500 -15200 lb). the largest specimen ever recorded had a shoulder height of 3.96 meters (13.0ft) and 10.4 tonnes (22900 lb) body mass.

Description of African Forest Elephants

These are the smallest out of the three living elephant species with a shoulder height of 2.4 m (8 ft 10 in) and weight of 2-5 tons.

Trucks and Tusks

The elephant’s truck also called along nose has over 40000 muscles with a two finger like feature at its tip (Asian elephants have one) that’s used for grabbing small things. The Elephant’s truck has many uses namely smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, grabbing potential meal, sucking water, grabbing things among other uses.

Elephants are very found of water and love showering all the time, they make use of the truck by sucking water through it and pour it all over their body, after they use the truck and pour a protective layer of dust on them self to minimize heat. African heat sometimes exceeds the limit thus these animals flap their large ears to radiate heat helping them cool.

Male and Female African Elephants have tucks that grow from deciduous teeth known as Tushes that are replaced by tusks when calves are about 1 year old. The main use of tusks is to dig for roots and strip the bark from trees for food, they are used for fighting during mating season and defense.

Diet

Elephants are herbivorous animals meaning they feed on grasses, small plants, bushes, fruits, twigs, tree barks and roots though their favorite meal is the fruits and favorite food source is the tree barks. An adult Elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food a day, these hungry species sleep less and spend most of their time roaming long distances while scavenging for large quantities of food that is need to maintain their hug bodies.

An Elephant can destroy an entire season of crops in a single night and because of this they are coming into contact with humans. Conservation programs are working with farmers to help them protect their crops and when the elephants over raid their crops they are compensated.

Herds/ families

Elephants live in herds of only females called cows and every hear is led by a female and usually the biggest and oldest leads the herd. The Male Elephants called bulls usually roam on their own and sometimes form smaller and loosely associated only male groups.

Elephants gestation period

Elephants have the longest gestation period than any other mammal on the planet of 22 months and cows produce one calf 2 – 4 years. The calf at birth weigh 200 pound and stand 3 feet tall.

Threats

The number of African elephants rapidly reduced to its current level because of hunting and poaching, approximately 100,000 elephants where killed every year and 80% of them lost in some areas in the 1980s.

African elephants face significant threats primarily from human activities. Poaching for ivory, despite international bans since 1989, remains a critical issue. Habitat loss due to expanding human populations and agriculture, especially since the mid-20th century, leads to severe habitat fragmentation. Human-elephant conflict, exacerbated by encroachment into habitats, and the impacts of climate change since the 1990s further threaten their survival. The illegal wildlife trade for skin and body parts continues, alongside diseases like tuberculosis and Ebola. Political instability undermines conservation efforts, and poorly managed tourism adds stress to elephant populations. Ongoing conservation efforts focus on anti-poaching, habitat preservation, and conflict mitigation.

Conservation

Elephant Database was initiated with an aim of monitoring the population of African Elephants in 1986, the data was got from Aerial surveys, dun counts and interviews with local people and data on poaching. The result indicated that the number of Elephants rapidly fall each year.

in 1989 the Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora listed these elephants in the CITES Appendix I which led to banning of international Trade of African Elephants and their body parts. As a result of this ban African Elephant population has recovered south African countries.

The conflict between humans and elephants have been are being managed by the African Elephant Specialist Group that has put uo Human-Elephant Conflict Task Force.

The export of Wild African Elephants to zoo was banned in 2019.

Where do African elephants live

African Elephant need a vast land for their survival to find enough food and water because they can roam for around 30000 sq km looking for pasture and water. Elephants are living in harmony in some places where they are given enough land which has led to the increased of them. but in some areas, they are forced to live in small isolated groups which has led their number to dangerously low hence making them critically endangered.

Where can i see African elephants

African Elephants can be seen in over 37 countries in African like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana among others.

Why are African Elephants so important ?

Elephants play a pivotal role in their ecosystems, as they feed and move around their environment, they clear the wooded areas and when they dispose off their wastes filled with seeds it lets new plants grow naturally. Elephants break down seeds of some seed-bearing plants and fruits with hard sells, disposing them through their waste letting new plants grow naturally. Elephants can eat big fruits that small animals can’t.

Elephants move for long distances and make pathways for other animals in dense forested areas.

In dry seasons Elephants have the ability to find water and after they dig holes for water in riverbeds creating water pools where other thirsty animals can quench their thirst.

As one of Africa’s big five elephants attract tourists which is a very important source of income to local people and the government by generating revenue.

Fun Facts About African Elephants

African Elephants are larger than their Asian Cousins and have larger ears that are surprisingly shaped like the African continent.
Elephants can recognize them selves in the mirror and this is done by few animals.
Elephants show signs of grief when they loss one of the members, they even revisit the bones of the deceased for years and touch them with their trucks as assign of mourning
A single elephant can eat up to 300 pounds of food per day.
Elephants are the world’s largest land animals on the planet.
The three African Elephants can be easily differentiated by their ears and tip of the truck, African bush elephant have ears that are shaped like the African continent and bigger than those of the African Forest Elephants, the Ears of the Asian Elephants are shaped like the Indian Subcontinent. The African elephant have two finger at the tip of their truck while Asian Elephants have one.
The Elephants’ trucks are the most sensitive organ found in any mammal, they have around 40000 muscle divided into as many as 150, 000 individual muscle units
The Elephants’ tusks are actually Teeth and they first appear when its 2 year and they grow throughout its life. The tusks are the main reason elephants are under threat because they are used for ivory a much-desired object.
Elephants have a thick skin of 2.5 cm thick, the wrinkles in the skin of an elephant can retain up to 10 times more water than a flat skin.
Elephants spend three-quarters of their day eating.
Elephants communicate to each other through vibrations.
A baby Elephant can stand in 20 minutes after birth.
90 % of African Elephants have been killed over the past century mainly because of ivory trade.
Elephants have a strong memory and they never forget.
Elephants bury their fellows when they die.
Elephants cover their skin with mud baths to protect them from the sun and clean their skin of ticks and bugs.