African Elephant

Facts about African Elephant, "African elephants scientific name is Loxodonta africana". The African elephant belongs to the Loxodonta genus of the Elephantidae family. The African Elephant are native to Africa, and they have an oblique sided tooth. They are largely found in the southern, eastern, and the western parts of Africa. Usually, the African elephant prefers to live in thick forests, Miombo and Mopane forests, deserts or Sahelian scrub.

Features of African Elephant

An adult African Elephant is usually bigger than its female counterpart, with the height that ranges from 10 feet to 13 feet (3.2 m to 4.0 m) at the shoulder, whereas the female African Elephant have a body height between 7 feet and 9 feet (2.2 m and 2.6 m). Usually, female elephants are less heavy than the males, with the body weight, ranging from 4,762 pounds to 7,125 pounds (2,160 kg to 3,232 kg), whereas the male African Elephant have a body weight between 10,360 pounds and 13,330 pounds (4,700 kg and 6,048 kg).

The African Elephant has a thick body that rests on its strong legs, and it has a concave back. These elephants have big size ears that offer them an immense protection against heat. The trunk of the African Elephants is formed by their upper lips combined with their nose. Their trunk is a significant method of touch and it acts as their fifth limb and as a sound amplifier. The trunk of the African Elephant ends in two opposing lips.

The African Elephant has four molars, with the weight of each molar being 11 pounds (5 kg) of weight, with a length of 12 inches (30 cm). The front pair of teeth of the African Elephants wears down and drops out in parts, whereas their back pair moves frontward, and two fresh molars come out in the back part of their mouth. They use to change their teeth from four to six times in their life span. The African Elephants will be toothless when they attain the age between 40 and 60 years, and they will die of hunger, which is the common reason for their death. The enamel coats of the molars of the African Elephants are less in number than other varieties of elephants in their family.

The tusks of the African Elephant are solid teeth, and the second sets of teeth turn out to be their tusks. The weight of their tusks ranges from 51 pounds to 99 pounds (23 kg to 45 kg). They are exploited for stripping the bark from trees and for excavating for the roots for food. African Elephant also use their tusks for wrestling each other during the mating season, and for protecting themselves against their predators. Unlike other elephants, both female and male African elephants contain tusks. They are bent forward and persist to grow all through the lifetime of the African Elephants.

Diet of African Elephant

The African Elephant mostly feeds on leaves and tree bark by making use of their trunk to pluck the leaves and tear them at tree branches.

Behavior of African Elephant

The societies of the African elephant are prearranged around their family units. Each of their family unit consists of ten closely associated female elephants and their calves. Usually, the family unit will be led by an elder female elephant called the matriarch. When other family units bonds, African Elephant will form links or kinship groups. After attaining the sexual maturity, usually, males are inclined to form groupings with other male elephants.

The average lifespan of the African elephant is 33 years in the wild, whereas in the captive, they live for 60 years to 70 years.
"Fear of Elephants is Pachydermophobia".