Elephant

African Elephants are the world’s largest living, land mammal and are best known for their large ears, social behavior, and longevity. Male African Elephants grow up to 25’ long, stand up to 11’ tall, and weigh up to 14,000 lbs.; males being larger than females. African Elephants now live wherever they can find enough food and water with minimal disturbance from people. Most of the continent’s elephants live on savannas and in dry woodlands. In other regions of Africa, they can be found in desert areas, mountains, and in the dense tropical rainforest of the Congo.

The African Elephant’s average lifespan in the wild is 60 years. Their diet consists of a wide variety of vegetation including: grasses, herbs, leaves, fruit, bark, and sodium from mineral licks.

African Elephants are listed as ENDANGERED on the World Conservation Unions Red List of Threatened Animals. Sadly, today the African Elephant inhabits no more than one-third of the continent and are gone from the Sahara. Their decline is due to: ivory hunters, loss of habitat, logging, and hunting their meat.

Loxodonta africana

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Elephants are truly unique !

They exhibit a high degree of social complexity

Their development is manifested in the use

and modification of rudimentary tools and vocal

learning

Have a large and complex brain; unusually good

memory and anticipatory planning capabilities

Show self-awareness and empathy

They love to race, have tug-o-wars, and play

sport games with balls; very competitive

Establish true friendships and females will seek

out their "friend" when about to give birth for

support

They love music and to dance; are fast learners

and will sway to rhythms

Ivory is a beautiful and valuable treasure that comes from the teeth of elephants. It is used in jewelry, art carvings, piano keys, and statues. Ivory is much more valuable and beautiful to an elephant. Every piece of ivory represents a dead elephant. In 2004, John Frederick Walker increased the awareness of the role of ivory in sustaining elephant conservation. It is called the Ivory Project and more information can be found on the African Wildlife Foundation.

Ivory sculpture made at the cost of an elephant’s life.

An elephant’s life is taken for ivory.

Watch elephants’ daily activity.

www.elephants.com