Conservation Status:
Loxodonta africana
3.5 to 6.5 tn.
(7,000 to 13,200 lb.)
Up to 11 ft. tall
60 to 70 years
Dense forests to open plains
Herbivorous
About 22 months
Humans
Elephants will live in almost any habitat that provides plentiful food and water. Populations are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the rain forests of Central and West Africa.
Tags: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DRC, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Congo, Kilimanjaro, Regional Parc W, Samburu, Virunga, Zambezi, East Africa, Southern Africa, West/Central Africa View Africa | Habitat
They are the world’s largest terrestrial mammal. There are two recognized subspecies of elephants: the savanna (bush) elephant and the forest elephant. Savanna elephants are larger than forest elephants and their tusks curve out, while forest elephants are darker and have tusks that are straighter and point downward.
An elephant’s trunk is a long nose that is used for breathing, smelling, drinking, trumpeting, and grabbing objects. African elephants have two fingerlike extensions on the tips of their trunks that are used for holding onto small objects. They also use their trunks to exhibit affection, by frequently touching and caressing one another.
It’s no great surprise that these large animals love to eat. Elephants’ diets consist of grasses, fruits, roots, and bark, and they roam across large distances foraging for food. They can eat up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of food and drink 30 to 50 gallons of water in one day.
Much like humans, elephants are social creatures that live in small family groups, usually consisting of an older matriarch and several generations of female relatives. Males are typically solitary but may live in small groups of three or four bulls. They take care of weak or injured members and even appear to grieve over dead companions.
The large tusks on either side of the elephant’s face—used to forage for food and water—have long been desired by people. Poachers kill elephants for their ivory, which is then sold and made into anything from jewelry to religious objects. At current poaching rates, elephant populations may not survive 10 years in the wild.
Elephants have longer pregnancies than almost any other mammal. They carry their calves for 22 months, and cows usually only bear one calf every two to four years. Reproduction rates are not sufficient to sustain population numbers at the current poaching rates.
Our solutions to protecting and conserving the elephant:
Wildlife corridors are large sections of land that allow wildlife to move from one national park to another—and even from one country to another. African Wildlife Foundation works with people on all levels—from governments to individuals in villages—to set land aside specifically for wildlife use, and in some cases, purchase land to set it aside for conservation. In Zambia, for example, AWF is working with communities in the Sekute Chiefdom to create the Sekute Conservation Area so that elephants can move safely and freely. In exchange for leaving land open for wildlife, AWF rebuilt the Lupani School.
AWF works with communities who live in close quarters with wildlife to recruit, train, and equip wildlife scouts. Scouts monitor elephants and can prevent them from destroying crops, thereby preventing farmers from viewing them as pests, and they are instrumental in deterring poachers. As a result, AWF is able to ensure enhanced protection of wildlife in these regions, like the Osupuko and Kitome Conservancies in Kenya, as well as provide additional employment opportunities to local communities.
Will you show elephants your support?
With your help, AWF can continue working on vital programs like providing training to, and equipping, wildlife scouts; setting aside protected areas for elephant habitats; and educating the public on the atrocities of wildlife crime. Donate for a cause that will help with wildlife conservation and ensure the elephant does not become an endangered species.
In February 2012, heavily armed poaching gangs from Sudan massacred more than 50% of the elephants in northern Cameroon’s Bouba N’...
Boasting a scenic landscape and extensive wildlife, northern Kenya supports a critical population of wild dogs, the second-largest...
The Kazungula District of Zambia, the location of the Sekute Chiefdom, lies...
Poaching of many of Africa’s iconic species has reached an all time high. With an estimated 35,000...
Elephant populations in Southern Africa roam freely across many countries, seeking food, water, and suitable habitat. As a result,...
Become a member
Join African Wildlife Foundation as a member for just $25. Your partnership is vital to our mission to protect Africa’s most precious - and imperiled - creatures.
Spread the word