|
|---|
photo by Andrew Shiva
photo by
copyright ©
| Subspecies: | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Est. World Population: | 415,000 |
| CITES Status: | Appendix I |
| IUCN Status: | Endangered |
| U.S. ESA Status: | Not Listed |
| Body Length: | |
| Tail Length: | |
| Shoulder Height: | 3.04–3.36 metres |
| Weight: | 5.2–6.9 tonnes |
| Top Speed: | |
| Jumping Ability: | (Horizontal) |
| Life Span: | 70 years in the Wild |
| Life Span: | in Captivity |
| Sexual Maturity: | 10–12 years (Females) |
| Sexual Maturity: | 20 years (Males) |
| Litter Size: | 1 |
| Gestation Period: | 22 months |
Identification:
- Size: Adult bulls reach shoulder heights of up to 3.96 meters (13 feet) and can weigh more than 10 tonnes (11.5 short tons). Females are smaller, typically reaching 2.5–3 meters in height and weighing around 3 tonnes.
- Distinctive Features: Characterized by large, fan-like ears that help dissipate body heat and a long, prehensile trunk ending in two finger-like processes.
- Tusks: Both males and females possess thick, curved ivory tusks that grow throughout their lives.
- Skin: Their thick, grey skin is deeply wrinkled to help retain moisture and regulate temperature.
Habitat:
African bush elephants are highly adaptable and occupy a diverse array of environments, including savannas, grasslands, open woodlands, and wetlands. Specialized populations even inhabit semi-arid deserts (such as the Namib) and high-altitude mountain slopes.
Biomes: The species primarily occupies the Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands biome. They also frequent flooded grasslands and miombo woodlands.
Biomes: The species primarily occupies the Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands biome. They also frequent flooded grasslands and miombo woodlands.
Range:
The species is distributed across 23 to 37 African countries in pockets of sub-Saharan Africa. Key strongholds include the Kavango-Zambezi Transboundary Conservation Area (spanning Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Angola), which hosts the continent's largest subpopulation.
Life Cycle:
- Longevity: They can live up to 70 years in the wild.
- Gestation: Females have the longest gestation period of any mammal at approximately 22 months.
- Maturity: Females reach sexual maturity around age 10–12, while males mature at roughly age 20.
- Offspring: Typically, a single calf is born every 3 to 9 years.
Food & Hunting:
As herbivores, elephants spend 16–18 hours a day foraging, consuming up to 150–225 kg (330–500 lbs) of vegetation daily. Their diet consists of grasses, leaves, bark, fruits, and shrubs. They use their powerful trunks to strip bark and uproot trees, often converting wooded areas into open grasslands.
Behaviour:
Elephants are famously social mammals. Females and calves live in stable matriarchal herds led by the oldest female. Adult males are mostly solitary or live in small bachelor groups, only joining female herds during the mating season. They communicate via a wide range of signals, including low-frequency infrasound that can travel several kilometers.
Conservation:
Since 2021, the African bush elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is also protected under CITES Appendix I (except for certain populations in southern Africa listed under Appendix II). Conservation efforts focus on anti-poaching measures, corridor protection, and community-based programs to promote coexistence.
Other Details:
- Musth: Adult males periodically enter a state of heightened testosterone and aggression known as "musth," during which they seek out receptive females for mating.
- Teeth: Throughout their lives, they use six successive sets of molars that move forward in their jaws like a conveyor belt; when the final set wears down, the animal can no longer feed effectively.