animalia
Created by Rudy Jara
  • HOME
  • BIRDS
    • Ratites >
      • Rhea
      • Ostrich
      • Emu
      • Southern Cassowary
    • Anserifomes >
      • Crested Screamer
    • Anatidae-Ducks, Geese, Swans s and Screamers >
      • Rosy bill Pochard
      • Orinoco Goose
      • Crested Screamer
      • White winged Duck
      • Mandarin Duck
      • Ruddy Duck
    • Spheniscidae- penguins >
      • African Penguin
      • Little Penguin
      • Magellanic penguins
    • Gruiformes >
      • Sunbittern
      • Bustards >
        • Kori Bustard
        • White-bellied Bustard
      • Gruidae- Cranes >
        • Wattled Crane
        • Saurus Crane
        • Black Crowned Crane
        • Whooping Crane
        • Grey Crowned Crane
        • Red Crowned Crane
        • Sandhill Crane
        • white-naped Crane
        • Blue Crane
        • Demoiselle Crane
    • Pelicaniformes-Pelicans, Gannets, Cormarants, Shags and Frigatebirds >
      • Pelecanidae >
        • Brown Pelican
        • Great White Pelican
        • American White Pelican
    • CICONIIFORMES: Storks, Herons, Ibises and Shoebills >
      • Red-legged Seriema
      • Ardeidae >
        • Pinked Backed Pelican
        • Boat-billed Heron
        • Goliath Heron
      • shoebill
      • Hamerkop
      • Threskiornithidae >
        • African Spoonbill
        • Roseate Spoonbill
        • Scarlet Ibis
      • CICONIIDAE >
        • Abdim's Stork
        • Jabiru
        • Marabou
        • Saddle-bill Stork
        • Storm's Stork
        • Wood Stork
        • Yellow-billed Stork
    • Rampshastidae-toucans, aracaris, toucanets >
      • Keel-billed Toucan
      • Swainson's Toucan
      • Toco Toucan
    • RAPTOR >
      • ACCIPITRIDAE >
        • Stellar's Sea eagle
        • Bald Eagle
        • Palmnut vulture
        • Lappet-faced Vulture
        • Harpy Eagle
        • African Crowned Eagle
        • Red-shouldered Hawk
        • Short-tailed Hawk
        • Red-tailed Hawk
      • CATHARTIDAE-new world vultures >
        • Andean condor
        • Black vulture
        • King vulture
        • Turkey Vulture
    • Coraciiformes >
      • Halcyonidae >
        • Laughing Kookabura
        • white-collared Kingfisher
      • Coracidae >
        • Blue-bellied Roller
        • Racket-tailed Roller
      • Bucerotidae >
        • Abyssinian Ground Hornbill
        • Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill
        • Rhinoceros Hornbill
        • Wreathed Hornbill
        • Wrinkled Honbill
    • Psittaciformes >
      • Cacatuida >
        • Palm Cockatoo
        • Moluccan Cockatoo
        • Umbrella Cockatoo
      • Psittacidae >
        • Rainbow lorikeet
        • Blue-streaked Lory
        • Yellow-streaked Lory
        • Pasquets Parrot
        • Hyacinth Macaw
        • Green-winged Macaw
        • Scarlet Macaw
    • Passeriformes >
      • White headed Buffalo Weaver
      • White-crowned Robin Chat
      • Bali Mynah
      • Golden-breasted Starling
      • lesser Bird of Paradise
  • MAMMALS
    • Carnivora-Bears, cats, dogs, raccoons. otters >
      • Felidae-CATS >
        • Bobcat
        • Ocelot
        • Jaguar
        • Leopard
        • Lion
        • Snow Leopard
        • Tiger
        • Mountain Lion
        • cheetah
      • Mustelidae >
        • Oriental Small-clawed Otter
        • giant river otter
        • North American River Otter
    • PRIMATE >
      • Hylobatidae >
        • Northern White-cheeked Gibbon
        • Siamang
      • HOMINIDAE- Apes >
        • Bonobo
        • Western Gorilla
        • Orangutan
        • Chimpanzee
      • Callitricidae >
        • Cotton-top Tamari
        • Red-handed Tamarin
        • Golden Lion Tamarin
        • Golden-headed Lion Tamarin
        • Black Lion Tamarin
        • Emperor Tamarin
        • Pied Tamarin
        • Pygmy Marmoset
      • Atelidae- Spider, Wooly and Howler Monkeys >
        • Red howler monkey
        • southern Black Howler Monkey
        • Central American Spider Monkey
    • Pilosa-anteaters, sloths, >
      • Giant Anteater
      • Brown Throated Three toed sloth
      • Hoffman's Two-toed Sloth
    • Marine Mammals >
      • Manatee
      • Cetacea >
        • Beluga
    • ARTIODACTYLA- >
      • Bovidae >
        • Dama Gazelle
        • Gemsbok
        • Scimitar-horned Oryx
        • Lesser Kudu
        • Greater Kudu
        • Klipspringer
        • Bongo
        • Bontebok
        • Waterbuck
        • addax
        • Nubian Ibex
      • Suidae >
        • Red River Hog
        • Warthog
      • Giraffidae >
        • Giraffe
        • Okapi
    • Elephantidae >
      • African Elephant
      • Asian Elephant
  • REPTILES
    • Crocodylia-Alligators, Crocodiles and Gharials >
      • American Alligator
      • Chinese Alligator
      • Gharial
      • Morelet's Crocodile
      • Orinoco Crocodile
      • Saltwater Crocodile
      • Cuban Crocodile
      • Nile Crocodile
      • Mugger Crocodile
    • SQUAMATA >
      • Serpentes >
        • Green Anaconda
        • Copperhead
      • VARANOIDEA- Varanids and Helodermids >
        • Komodo Dragon
        • Green Tree Monitor
        • Water Monitor
        • Gila Monster
        • Beaded Lizard
  • AMPHIBIANS
    • Anurans-Frogs and Toads
  • Index
  • Reference
  • New Page

African Elephant- Loxodonta africana

Range: Sub-Sahara Africa 
Size: ♂: 366 cm ( 144 in) ♀: 274 cm(108 in)
Weight ♂:7000 kg(15,435lbs) ♀: 4000 kg(8820 lbs) Habitat: rain forest, savannah And desert 

Estrus: 2 days
Estrus cycle: 15-16 weeks

Gestation : 366-377 days 
Litter: 1
Weaning: 48-108 month 

Sexual maturity: 120 months 
Lifestyle: Terrestrial
Activity: Diurnal
Social: female herds male bachelor groups 

Breeding: polygynous 
Movement: Migratory
Food: leaves and fruit 

IUCN: Vulnerable 
Subspecies : 2
Longevity: captive: 32 yrs 

Wild: 56

The largest land animal on earth the African Elephant is recognized by children and adults worldwide. The difference between the African elephant and its closest relative the Asian Elephant are numerous but most often subtle. In the African species both males and females possess impressive tusks although the males are larger. In the Asian species only the male have tusk. The shape of the ears are also quite different in the species. And the trunk has two finger-like tips on the African and only one on the Asian.

The African elephant is extremely intelligent and quite social. The communication among elephants is very complicated and is just now becoming understood after many years of research. It has been discovered that African elephants can communicant over long distances through low frequency vocalizations. The social organization is also very complex and herd structure and individual relationships may change over time. The herd is led by a dominant female. Young males form bachelor groups but older males are usually solitary. The African elephant migrates starting at the beginning of the dry season and returns back to the home range during the rainy season.

The species is monotypic. There are some references that classify the Forest Elephant (L. cyclotis) as a separate species. The DNA evidence has been supported and the separation into two species is now generally accepted.


The most dangerous threat to the species is poaching for ivory. In most range countries the African elephant is listed as CITES I and all trade in ivory from elephants is illegal. In the remaining countries the species is listed as CITES II and the ivory trade is regulated. In 1989 the US Congress passed the African Elephant Conservation Act prohibiting the importation of raw ivory. 

Picture
PDF
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.