African forest elephant

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is an elephant species native to humid tropical forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It was first described in 1900. With an average shoulder height of 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in), it is the smallest of the three living elephants. Both sexes have straight, down-pointing tusks, which begin to grow at the age of 1–3 years.

The African forest elephant lives in highly sociable family groups of up to 20 individuals comprising adult cows, their daughters and sons. When young bulls reach sexual maturity, they separate from the family group and form loose bachelor groups for a short time, but usually stay alone. Adult bulls associate with family groups only during the mating season.

The African forest elephant forages on leaves, seeds, fruit, and tree bark of at least 96 plant species. Since it disseminates partly digested seeds for at least 5 km (3.1 mi) through its droppings, it contributes significantly to maintaining the diversity and structure of the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolese rainforests.

During the 20th century, overhunting caused a sharp decline of the African forest elephant population, and by 2013 it was estimated that fewer than 30,000 individuals remained. It is threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching. The conservation status of populations varies across range countries. Since 2021, it has 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 a female and a male elephant found near the Sanaga River in southern Cameroon.

Phylogeny and evolution

The African forest elephant used to be considered a subspecies of the African elephant, along with the African bush elephant. But studies of body shape and DNA proved 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 split away from each other over 1.9 million years ago. Even though they sometimes have babies together where they live close by, they mostly stay separate.

More studies show that ancient elephants in Europe, called straight-tusked elephants, also had babies with African forest elephants. This mixing happened over a million years ago, just before these elephants left Africa.

Description

The African forest elephant is smaller than the African bush elephant. Studies show that males can reach about 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) tall and weigh around 2 tons, though very large ones can be up to 2.75 meters (9 feet) tall. 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. They can be found from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the most elephants in Gabon, where forests cover most of the land.

They also live in the moist forests of Ivory Coast, Ghana, and other parts of West Africa. Sadly, their numbers have dropped a lot 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, about ten years later than other elephants. Baby elephants can stand soon after birth and are cared for by their mothers for about four or five years. Male elephants go through a special time called musth when they become more aggressive and show off to get attention from females.

Traditional hunting

African forest elephants have been hunted by some groups of people in the Congo Basin, such as the Mbuti pygmies. It is unclear 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. They would aim for the lower belly or knees to make the elephant unable to move. Researchers studied this hunting in the 1970s and 1980s and saw that hunters would use metal-tipped spears. Before starting, the hunters would sing and dance for good luck. They would hide their smell with mud, elephant dung, and charcoal. After finding an elephant, they would follow it carefully and then attack. It could take many hours or even days for the elephant to fall after being stabbed.

Many hunts did not succeed because elephants would often spot the hunters and run away. Because of this, hunting elephants was not a reliable way to get food, so these groups often hunted smaller animals instead. When an elephant was finally killed, the whole community would gather to share the meat, celebrating for several days. Hunting elephants was very dangerous for the hunters.

Threats

Both African elephant species face big challenges, mainly because people are taking over their homes. Forests are being turned into farms and cities, which makes it hard for elephants to find food and space. This also leads to more problems between people and elephants.

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

Conservation

In 1986, the African Elephant Database was started to watch over 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 listed under international rules to protect animals. 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 make up a big part of all elephants in Africa but are hard to study because they live in thick forests. New ways to see them, like using heat to find them, 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.