The African Elephant
Big 5 Safari Guide: Elephant
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Genus and Species: Loxodonta africana (African Bush Elephant)
Name
The African Elephant is named after the African continent, where they can be found in over 37 countries. There are actually two sub-species of African Elephants, the larger African Savanna Elephant and the smaller African Forest Elephant.
Appearance
African Elephants are easily recognisable by their massive size, wrinkled grey skin, and large, floppy ears that help them regulate their body temperature. They have distinctive tusks, which are actually elongated incisor teeth, and a long, prehensile trunk, a marvel of evolution.
Size
The African elephant is the largest land animal on Earth, with fully grown males weighing up to 6,000 kg (13,200 lb) and reaching 4 m (13 ft) at the shoulder. Female African elephants are smaller, typically weighing between 2,700 and 3,600 kg (6,000–7,900 lb). The largest African elephant ever recorded weighed an astonishing 10,900 kg (24,000 lb) and stood 4 m (13 ft) tall at the shoulder.
Shoulder Height:
- Males: 3.3 – 4 meters (10.8 – 13.1 feet)
- Females: 2.7 – 3.4 meters (8.9 – 11.2 feet)
Weight:
- Males: 6,000 – 7,500 kilograms (13,200 – 16,500 pounds)
- Females: 3,500 – 4,000 kilograms (7,700 – 8,800 pounds)
The African elephant is the largest land animal on Earth, weighing up to 6,000 kg (13,200 lbs) and standing as tall as 4 meters (13 feet) at the shoulder. These intelligent giants can communicate through infrasound, sending messages over distances of up to 10 kilometers (6 miles). With their powerful trunks, they can lift nearly 300 kg (660 lbs), yet they remain gentle and deeply social creatures.
An African Elephant's Diet
Despite their formidable size and incredible strength, elephants are herbivores. Their diet includes grasses, leaves, fruits, bark, and roots. But keeping up such an incredible body mass requires a lot of work. To sustain their enormous size, elephants must consume one to two percent of their body mass per day.
In the wild, a full-grown male elephant is able to consume up to 250 kgs (600 pounds) of food in a single day, although the average daily food consumption for an African elephant is about 90 to 170 kgs (200 to 350 pounds), making them nature’s ultimate grazers.
Despite the large volumes of vegetation they consume, elephants only digest their food with less than 50% efficiency. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they spend a significant portion of their day (approximately 12 to 16 hours) eating large volumes of vegetation.
The Importance of Elephant Dung
It’s easy to think of elephants as nature’s answer to a complex and efficient mobile composting system. Despite only digesting half their food, their “waste” is actually a great benefit for the environment. Elephants travel impressive distances—think miles! As they roam, seeds from the plants they eat hitch a ride in their dung and become scattered far and wide.
This brilliant method of seed dispersal helps restore forests and promotes a diverse mix of plant life across large areas. And, to make it even better, the seeds already have all the nutrients and moisture they need to start growing. Think of elephant dung as nature’s fertiliser capsule. Packed with nutrients, it gives germinating seeds a healthy boost.
So next time you see elephant dung, remember—it’s a sign of a thriving ecosystem, all thanks to these impressive creatures.
Location and Habitat
African Elephants occupy a diverse range of habitats across sub-Saharan Africa, with a historical presence in over 37 countries. The presence of elephants within an area depends on the availability of water and food sources.
Elephants mostly prefer dense bush and open savanna grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs. In South Africa, elephants are found in game reserves, national parks and protected wildlife areas.
In the Western Cape, and near Cape Town, the best place to see wild elephants is at Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve, Aquila Private Game Reserve, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, and Gondwana Game Reserve.
Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Hluwuwe-Imfolozi National Park also offers a chance to see elephants in the wild. Heading north, Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga and Limpopo (near Gauteng) boasts massive elephant herds.
And don’t forget the Eastern Cape’s Addo Elephant National Park, where the name itself promises great elephant sightings!
The Behaviour of Elephants
Elephants are highly social creatures with complex family structures and deep emotional connections. African elephants live in female-led groups called ‘herds’. These tight-knit matriarchal groups often consist of mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts, who can stay together for generations, offering support and protection to each other.
Elephants display a remarkable range of emotions, including grief, joy, and empathy. They mourn their dead with elaborate rituals, trumpeting and touching the bones of deceased family members. They also show compassion towards others in distress, comforting them with trunk touches and vocalisations.
Knowledge and traditions are passed down through generations within elephant families. The matriarch, usually the oldest female elephant in the herd, plays a crucial role teaching younger members essential skills like finding food, navigating their environment, and recognising danger.
Despite their calm and gentle nature, elephants are surprisingly playful creatures, especially young calves. They love to play in the mud, chase each other, and spar with their trunks. This playful behaviour is essential for developing social skills and forming strong familial bonds within the herd.
An Elephant's Trunk
The trunk is a truly remarkable tool, an extension of the elephant’s upper lip and nose fused into a single, powerful appendage. It contains over 40,000 muscles and tendons, granting incredible dexterity and strength. Elephants use their trunks for a multitude of tasks, including:
- Breathing and smelling
- Trumpeting
- Grasping food and water
- Dust bathing (for thermoregulation and parasite control)
- Social interaction
An Elephant's Tusks
The tusks are another defining feature of African Elephants. Contrary to popular belief, they are not horns, but rather elongated incisor teeth that continue to grow throughout an elephant’s life. Tusks are used for:
- Digging for food and water
- Stripping bark from trees
- Fighting and dominance displays among males
Also Read: 10 Facts About Elephant Tusks
Territory
Elephant herds have large home ranges that they roam seasonally in search of food and water. The exact size of their territory can vary depending on habitat availability and resource abundance.
Breeding
Elephants have a long gestation period of around 22 months, resulting in the birth of a single calf (twins are very rare).
Calves are incredibly dependent on their mothers for several years, learning essential survival skills and social behaviours.
Threats and Challenges
Numbering three to five million in the last century, African elephant populations were severely reduced to its current levels because of hunting. In the 1980s, an estimated 100,000 elephants were killed each year and up to 80% of herds were lost in some regions.
In recent years, growing demand for ivory, particularly from Asia, has led to a surge in poaching. Populations of elephants—especially in southern and eastern Africa—that once showed promising signs of recovery could be at risk due to the recent surge in poaching for the illegal ivory trade.
Habitat loss and land fragmentation are one of the biggest challenges elephants face in the wild. African elephants have less room to roam than ever before as expanding human populations convert land for agriculture, settlements and developments.
The elephants’ range shrank from three million square miles in 1979 to just over one million square miles in 2007. Commercial logging, plantations for biofuels and extractive industries like logging and mining not only destroy habitat but also open access to remote elephant forests for poachers.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions About African Elephants
Estimates suggest there are around 415,000 African Elephants remaining in the wild.
Elephants communicate through a wide range of vocalizations, including trumpeting, growling, and rumbling sounds.
Trunks are used for breathing, smelling, grasping objects, trumpeting, and social interaction.
African Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. The biggest animal in the world is the Blue Whale.
Despite their size, elephants can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) in short bursts.
Elephants are typically most active during the cooler mornings and evenings, seeking refuge from the midday sun.
Baby elephants are called calves (singular: calf).
There’s a popular myth that elephants get drunk by eating the fruit of the marula tree. The story goes that when marulas fall to the ground and ferment in the sun, elephants consume them and become tipsy.
In reality, it’s highly unlikely. Elephants would need to eat hundreds of fermented marulas at once to consume enough alcohol to have any effect – and their bodies process it quickly. What people sometimes see as “drunken behaviour” is usually just elephants being playful or excitable.
So while the idea of elephants getting drunk on marula fruit makes for a fun tale (and even inspired the famous Amarulaliqueur from South Africa), it’s more legend than fact.
On average, elephants can walk 10 to 20 kilometres (6 to 12 miles) per day. In times of scarcity or during migration, they are capable of travelling much further – sometimes up to 50 kilometres (30 miles) in a single day.
Their daily range depends on the season, availability of resources, and whether they are in the wild or within a managed reserve.
No, elephants are not territorial. They don’t defend fixed areas of land. Instead, they live within large home ranges that can stretch over hundreds of square kilometres, depending on food and water availability.
Elephant herds, usually led by a matriarch, move continuously across these ranges, often overlapping with the ranges of other herds. When resources are abundant, different elephant groups may gather together in large numbers.
So while elephants do establish movement patterns and return to familiar places, they don’t mark or defend territory in the way territorial predators do.
Elephants typically live 50 to 60 years, though some can reach their early 70s if conditions are favourable.
Elephants are true mega-herbivores, eating huge amounts to sustain their massive bodies.
Daily intake: An adult elephant can consume 150–300 kilograms (330–660 pounds) of vegetation each day, including grasses, leaves, bark, fruits, and roots.
Feeding time: They spend up to 16–18 hours a day foraging to meet their energy needs.
Because of this, elephants have a huge impact on their ecosystem, shaping vegetation patterns and creating habitats for other animals.
Yes, elephants are excellent swimmers! Despite their massive size, they can swim long distances using their strong legs to paddle. Their trunks act like snorkels, allowing them to breathe while submerged.
Elephants often enjoy swimming in rivers, lakes, or even the sea, which helps them cool off, play, and travel between areas. Young elephants sometimes need encouragement from adults, but swimming is a natural skill for the species.
No, elephants cannot jump in the way most other mammals can. Their enormous weight and leg structure make it physically impossible for all four feet to leave the ground simultaneously.
Instead, elephants move by walking, fast walking, or running, keeping at least one foot on the ground at all times. When they “charge” or move quickly, they essentially power-walk or trot, using their strength and momentum rather than jumping.
This is true for both African and Asian elephants.
After a gestation period of 22 months, elephants give birth to a single calf (twins are very rare).
African elephant calves typically weigh 120–140 kilograms (265–310 pounds) at birth.
Asian elephant calves are slightly smaller, usually 100–120 kilograms (220–265 pounds).
Despite their size, they are completely dependent on their mothers for nourishment and protection, and they start standing and walking within a few hours of birth.
The main differences between savannah (African bush) elephants and forest elephants come down to size, habitat, and physical traits:
Size: Savannah elephants are larger, standing 3–4 metres (10–13 ft) tall at the shoulder, whereas forest elephants are smaller, around 2–3 metres (6–10 ft) tall.
Tusks: Forest elephants have straighter, thinner tusks that point downward, while savannah elephants’ tusks are thicker and often curve outward.
Ears: Savannah elephants have large, fan-shaped ears to help dissipate heat in open landscapes; forest elephants have smaller, rounder ears suited to dense forests.
Habitat: Savannah elephants roam grasslands, open plains, and savannahs; forest elephants live in dense rainforests in Central and West Africa.
Behaviour: Forest elephants tend to be more elusive and travel shorter distances daily, while savannah elephants cover larger ranges and live in more visible family herds.
These differences are significant enough that some scientists classify them as separate species: Loxodonta africana(savannah) and Loxodonta cyclotis (forest).
An elephant’s skin is remarkably thick, which helps protect it from predators, thorns, and harsh sun.
Thickness: On average, elephant skin is about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick, though it can be up to 4 cm (1.5 inches) on certain parts of the body, like the back and sides.
Texture: Despite its thickness, it’s sensitive. Elephants can feel tiny insects on their skin and enjoy dusting, mud baths, and water to cool down and protect against sunburn.
The Big Tuskers are individual African elephants, usually males, known for having exceptionally large tusks – sometimes weighing over 100 kilograms (220 pounds) each. These tusks are rare and highly prized, making the elephants famous both in wildlife circles and, unfortunately, targets for poachers.
Who: Typically older male elephants, because tusks grow throughout their lives. Some famous Big Tuskers, like Ahmed in Kenya or Satao in Tsavo, have become legends due to their enormous tusks.
What: “Big Tusker” is a term used to describe elephants whose tusks are unusually long, thick, and impressive compared to the average elephant.
These elephants are often icons of conservation, representing the beauty and vulnerability of Africa’s wildlife.
Elephants are remarkably resilient when it comes to water, but they cannot go indefinitely without it.
Typical survival: Elephants can survive about 3–5 days without drinking water, depending on temperature, humidity, and activity level.
Adaptations: They get some moisture from the vegetation they eat, dig for water in dry riverbeds, and reduce activity during the hottest parts of the day to conserve water.
Not all elephants have tusks. Whether an elephant has tusks depends on species, sex, and genetics:
African elephants: Both males and females usually have tusks, though some females may have very small tusks or none at all.
Asian elephants: Typically, only males have large tusks. Female Asian elephants often have very small tusks called “tushes” or none at all.
Genetic variation: In both species, some individuals are naturally tuskless, a trait that is becoming more common in areas heavily affected by poaching.
Henry was the largest elephant recorded. He was an African savanna bull elephant that reportedly weighed 11,000 kg (24,000 lbs) and stood nearly 4 meters tall (13 feet) at the shoulder. His tusks measured at an impressive 3.5 meters (11.5 feet). Sadly, Henry was shot in 1956 by a hunter in Angola.
Elephant tusks are incredibly heavy and strong, as they are essentially elongated incisors made of ivory.
Average weight: A typical adult African elephant’s tusks weigh 45–68 kilograms (100–150 pounds) each.
Big Tusker tusks: Exceptionally large tusks, like those of the famous Big Tuskers, can weigh over 100 kilograms (220 pounds) each.
Asian elephants: Male Asian elephant tusks are usually smaller, averaging 20–45 kilograms (45–100 pounds), and many females have little to no tusks.
Tusks are used for digging, stripping bark, moving objects, and defence, making their size and strength crucial to the elephant’s daily life.
Elephant ivory, which comes from their tusks, has been highly valued for centuries due to its hardness, smooth texture, and ability to be carved.
Traditional uses: Ivory has been used for carvings, jewellery, piano keys, billiard balls, and decorative items.
Modern impact: The demand for ivory has contributed significantly to illegal poaching, which is a major threat to elephant populations.
Conservation efforts: International trade in elephant ivory is now heavily restricted or banned under the CITES treaty, and many countries have strict laws to protect elephants from poaching.
So while ivory has historical and cultural significance, its trade today is illegal and highly harmful to wild elephant populations.