African bush elephant

The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), also known as the African savanna elephant, is a species of elephant that lives in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with fully grown males reaching an average shoulder height of about 3 to 3.4 metres (10 to 11 feet) and weighing between 5.2 and 6.9 tonnes (5.7 to 7.6 short tons). The biggest one ever recorded was nearly 4 metres tall and weighed around 10.4 tonnes.

African bush elephants have a long, flexible trunk with two finger-like processes, large ears that help cool their bodies, and strong, curved tusks. Their skin is grey and wrinkled, which helps them stay cool.

These elephants live in many types of places such as forests, grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and even areas where people farm. They eat mostly grasses, creepers, herbs, leaves, and bark, eating about 150 kilograms of plants and drinking around 230 litres of water each day. They travel in groups made up of females and their young, while adult males often live alone or with other males.

Since 2021, the African bush elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The biggest danger to them is losing their homes because of human activities, and in some places, they are also killed for their meat and ivory. Many elephants were sadly killed for their tusks, especially in the 1970s and 1980s.

Taxonomy and evolution

See also: African elephant § Taxonomy

In the 19th and 20th centuries, scientists studied elephant samples from different parts of Africa. They gave these elephants many different names, but today all these names are considered the same species.

Studies show that African elephants and Asian elephants separated from each other about 7.6 million years ago. African bush elephants and African forest elephants also split into different species at least 1.9 million years ago. The oldest known fossils of African bush elephants are from Ethiopia and Kenya, dating back millions of years.

Description

The African bush elephant has grey skin with only a few hairs. Its large ears cover its shoulders and can grow up to 2 metres by 1.5 metres. These big ears help cool the elephant’s body by flapping to create air currents and exposing blood vessels.

African bush elephants are the largest land animals. Fully grown males stand about 3 metres tall at the shoulder and weigh around 6 tonnes on average. Females are smaller, about 2.6 metres tall and 3 tonnes. The biggest known male was measured at almost 4 metres tall. Their sturdy tusks curve forward, and they have a long trunk ending in two finger-like tips.

Distribution and habitat

The African bush elephant lives in sub-Saharan Africa, including countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa. These elephants can be found in many different places, like forests, grasslands, wetlands, and even deserts in some areas.

In some places, like Kruger National Park, the number of these elephants is growing. However, in other areas, especially in East Africa, their numbers have gone down because of threats such as illegal hunting. Conservation efforts are helping in some countries, but elephants still face challenges due to loss of their homes as human populations grow.

Behaviour and ecology

Elephant families are led by a matriarch and include adult females, their daughters, and young sons. These groups work together to find food and water, protect each other, and care for babies. Young male elephants leave their families between 10 and 19 years old and may live alone or in groups with other males.

African bush elephants have special skin folds that help them stay cool in hot weather by holding water and cooling them through evaporation. They eat a mix of grasses and leafy plants, and sometimes eat fruit and help spread seeds. These elephants can eat up to 150 kg of food a day and drink around 180–230 litres of water daily.

Elephants use their trunks to greet each other and show affection. They make a variety of sounds like rumbles, trumpets, and squeals to communicate, especially over long distances.

During a period called musth, male elephants experience swelling and changes in behavior, becoming more aggressive and seeking out females. Females become ready to mate around age 11, and after mating, they carry their babies for about 22 months. New baby elephants are cared for closely by their mothers and other females in the group.

Adult elephants are generally safe from predators, but young elephants may be threatened by lions and hyenas, especially during tough times with little food. Elephants can face health issues from diseases and harmful bacteria in their environment.

Elephants are very intelligent animals, showing behaviors such as grief, learning, and cooperation, similar to humans and some other smart animals.

Threats

The African bush elephant faces big challenges that make it harder for them to survive. One big problem is losing their homes when land is changed for farms, buildings, and other human uses. This makes elephants and people come into conflict more often.

Poachers hunt elephants mainly for their tusks. This hunting has hurt elephant populations a lot, especially bulls, changing the balance of male and female elephants. Poachers sometimes use poison on elephant bodies to hide their actions, which can also harm birds that eat from the carcasses. Because of this danger, some elephants are now born without tusks to stay safer.

Conservation

Both types of African elephants have been protected by international law since 1989. Some countries started special programs to help people and elephants live together peacefully. Scientists found that sounds made by African bees can scare elephants away from villages.

The African bush elephant is now considered endangered because its numbers have dropped by more than half over the past few generations. Most of these elephants live outside protected areas. In 2016, there were about 415,000 African bush elephants spread across a large part of Africa. Botswana has the largest group of these elephants.

Cultural significance

In Africa, elephants have been important in human culture for a very long time. People valued their ivory tusks because they were worth a lot. In Kenya, the Maasai people think of elephants almost like family members. They call elephants Arkanjowe, meaning something very big and powerful. There is a Maasai story that says an elephant was formed when a woman turned around on her way to get married and changed into an elephant.

Long ago, people in North Africa drew elephants on rocks. One famous example is in Tadrart Acacus, a place recognized for its important history. There are also old paintings of elephants made by the San people in Namibia and South Africa, showing that they understood elephants very well and may have lived together peacefully for thousands of years.