![]() That, combined with the long distances that they can cover daily in search of more food, contributes notably to the dispersion of many plant seeds that germinate in the middle of a nutrient-filled feces mound. There are known cases of over 80 year old specimens in captivity.īig Appetite: These animals typically ingest an average of 225 kg of vegetable matter daily, which is defecated without being fully digested. ![]() Not much later, the animal dies of starvation from not being able to feed correctly. Around the age of 15 their milk teeth are replaced by new ones that last until the age of 30, and then by another set which wear off past the age of 40, being replaced by the last set of teeth that last approximately until the age of 65–70. Over time, these molars are worn away and new ones are grown to replace them as the elephant ages. Each of these molars is 10 cm wide and 30 cm long. The diet of the African Bush Elephant varies according to its habitat elephants living in forests, partial deserts, and grasslands all eat different proportions of herbs and tree or shrubbery leaves.Ĭhew on this! In order to break down the plants they consume, the African Bush Elephant has four large molars, two in each mandible of the jaw. What's on the menu? African elephants are herbivorous. The Male African Forest Elephant rarely exceed 2.5 meters (8 feet) in height, while the African Bush Elephant is usually over 3 meters (just under 10 feet) and sometimes almost 4 meters (13 feet) tall. This is mostly due to their large brain.Īfrican & Asian: Differences between the African Bush Elephant and the African Forest Elephant include the Forest Elephant's long, narrow mandible (the African Bush Elephant's is short and wide), its rounded ears (an African Bush Elephant's ears are more pointed), different tusks, and considerably smaller size. In fact, experiments about reasoning and learning applied on them show that they are the smartest ungulates together with their Asian cousins. ![]() The African Bush Elephant is a notably intelligent animal. Intellectual Giants? A recent report states that African elephants are able to use seismic vibrations at infrasound frequencies for communication. It is formed by the fusion and elongation of the nose and upper lip, forming a flexible and strong organ made purely of muscle. Nose + Lip = Trunk: The trunk is the most characteristic feature of the African Bush Elephant. The front is smoother and less convex than that of the Asian Elephant. Its back feet have three toes that form a hoof, while the number of toes on the front feet have varied between four and five, in different instances. Thick Skinned: The animal is protected by a heavy but flexible layer of gray-brown skin, dotted with mostly undeveloped patches of hair and long, black hair at the tip of its tail. It moves at a rate of 6 km/h, but it can reach a top speed of 40 km/h when scared or upset.īig-headed: The animal is characterized by its large head two large ears that cover its shoulders and radiate excess heat a large and muscular trunk two prominent tusks, which are well-developed in both sexes, although more commonly in males a short neck a large, barrel-like body four long and heavy legs that resemble columns and a relatively short tail. Sizes and Scales: The African Bush Elephant is the largest land dwelling animal, normally reaches 6 to 7.3 m (20 to 24 ft) in length and 3 to 3.5 meters in height, although a 4-meter elephant, the body of which is mounted in the rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., was discovered in Angola in 1955.īig and Brisk: Weighing between 7,000 and 10,000 kg (15,000-22,000 lb), it is the largest land animal in the world. It is also known as the Bush Elephant or Savanna Elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant were previously classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant. The African Bush Elephant ( Loxodonta africana) is the better-known and larger of the two species of African elephants. ![]() Loxodonta is a genus in Elephantidae, the family of elephants and is divided into two species.
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