African forest elephant

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is an elephant that lives in wet tropical forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It was first described in 1900. It is the smallest of the three living elephants, with an average shoulder height of 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in). Both males and females have straight, down-pointing tusks that start to grow when they are 1–3 years old.

The African forest elephant lives in friendly family groups of up to 20 individuals. These groups are made up of adult females, their daughters, and sons. When young males become older and ready to mate, they leave the family group. They might join other young males for a short time, but often stay alone. Adult males only join family groups during the mating season.

These elephants eat leaves, seeds, fruit, and tree bark from many different plants. By spreading seeds through their droppings over long distances, they help keep the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolese rainforests healthy and diverse.

In the 20th century, hunting caused the number of African forest elephants to drop sharply. By 2013, it was estimated that fewer than 30,000 individuals were left. The elephants face threats from losing their homes and poaching. The safety status of these elephants changes in different countries. Since 2021, they have been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Taxonomy

See also: African elephant § Taxonomy

Elephas (Loxodonta) cyclotis was the scientific name proposed by Paul Matschie in 1900. He described the skulls of two elephants found near the Sanaga River in southern Cameroon.

Phylogeny and evolution

The African forest elephant was once thought to be a subspecies of the African elephant, along with the African bush elephant. But studies showed they are really two different species.

Scientists studied the DNA of many elephants and found that the African forest elephant and the African bush elephant separated over 1.9 million years ago. Even though they sometimes have babies together, they mostly stay separate.

More studies show that ancient elephants in Europe also had babies with African forest elephants. This happened over a million years ago.

Description

The African forest elephant is smaller than the African bush elephant. Males can reach about 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) tall and weigh around 2 tons. Females are smaller, around 1.8 to 2.4 meters (5.9 to 7.9 feet) tall.

These elephants have grey skin that can look yellow or reddish after rolling in mud. They have sparse, coarse black hair, especially around the tip of their tail. Their ears are oval-shaped with small tips, and they have a straight trunk with two finger-like processes at the end. Both males and females have straight tusks that point downward. These tusks are thinner and harder than those of the African bush elephant and are used to push through dense forest vegetation.

Distribution and habitat

African forest elephants live in the thick rainforests of Central Africa. You can find them from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The most elephants live in Gabon, where forests cover much of the land.

They also live in the moist forests of Ivory Coast, Ghana, and other parts of West Africa. Sadly, there are fewer of them now because of hunting and loss of their homes. In 2021, about 95,000 forest elephants were in Gabon.

Behaviour and ecology

African forest elephants live in family groups. In the rain forest of Gabon's Lopé National Park, these groups usually have between three and eight members. Sometimes, larger groups of up to 20 elephants meet in special areas. Family members help take care of the babies together. Young male elephants leave their families when they grow up and may spend time alone or with other young males. Adult males only join family groups during mating time.

These elephants travel about 7.8 km each day and use special paths through the forest to find food and water. They eat mostly tree bark, leaves, and many different fruits. By spreading seeds when they move, they help forests grow and stay healthy.

Elephants can talk to each other using sounds called rumbles and barks. They also use their strong sense of smell and can feel vibrations in the ground. They see better in dim light than in bright sunlight.

Female elephants can have babies starting at age 23. Baby elephants can stand soon after birth and are cared for by their mothers for about four or five years. Male elephants sometimes act differently when they show off to get attention from females.

Traditional hunting

African forest elephants have been hunted by some people in the Congo Basin, such as the Mbuti pygmies. It is not known when this hunting began, but it might have started when people wanted more ivory in the 1800s or even earlier.

Traditionally, people hunted elephants using spears. Hunting elephants was very dangerous for the hunters. When an elephant was killed, the whole community would gather to share the meat and celebrate for several days. Because hunting elephants was not always successful, these groups often hunted smaller animals instead.

Threats

Both African elephant species have big challenges. People are taking over their homes, turning forests into farms and cities. This makes it hard for elephants to find food and space. It also causes more problems between people and elephants.

Another problem is that some people take elephant tusks, called ivory, to sell for money. This hurts elephant populations a lot. Because of these dangers, the African forest elephant was named one of the most at-risk animals in 2021. Sadly, their numbers have dropped a lot in recent years.

Conservation

In 1986, the African Elephant Database was created to keep track of African elephant numbers. It uses information from flying over areas, counting animal waste, talking to local people, and data about hunting.

Since 1989, both kinds of African elephants have been protected by international rules. This stopped countries from trading parts of wild elephants. Some places like Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa have different rules for hunting.

African forest elephants are a big part of all elephants in Africa but are hard to study because they live in thick forests. New ways to find them, like using heat, have helped scientists learn more about how they live and behave. These elephants help forests grow by taking in carbon, which is important for the environment.