|
 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
African elephant - LOXODONTA AFRICANA
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Elephant": "Elephant" is an ancient word, coming from the Greek word "elephas," but dating back to ancient Egypt. It is possible that the words "elephant" and "ivory" came from the same ancient Egyptian word. They are also known as pachyderms, which means "thick skin."
Location: Sub-Saharan Africa except southernmost Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. From semidesert to forest at varying altitudes.
Description: This is the largest living terrestrial mammal today. Its enormous ears serve to dissipate body heat as the elephant slowly fans them. This activity also brushes away insects from its eyes. The upper incisor teeth form tusks, which average about 5 ft long and weigh about 35 lb. African elephants are more evenly gray than their Asian counterparts, have more thick hairs on their bodies, and have a back that bows like a horse, whereas the Asian elephant's back humps up like a camel. The trunk has two fingerlike projections at the tip, and it is said that they can pick up a dime from the floor. The forest subspecies of this elephant is smaller than the savanna race. Length of head and body including trunk range up to 25 ft, and they can reach up to 13 feet at the shoulder. Their weight may exceed six and one half tons.
Behavior: This elephant is a social creature living in large family groups which have a matriarchal structure. The matriarch makes the decisions about when and where to move, and keeps the peace among the anxious bulls. Groups of African elephants can number more than 100 individuals during periods of drought. The groups are constantly moving when the animals are feeding, with the matriarch always heading toward an eventual goal of water. The elephant must drink daily, and enjoys bathing in waterholes, and rolling in mudholes. African elephants are not as easily trained as Asian elephants.
Reproduction: Breeding occurs all year round, but a female will only give birth once every 4 years. Gestation lasts for 22 to 24 months, at the end of which a single offspring is born, weighing about 220 pounds. It nurses for 2-3 years.
Note: P.T. Barnum's prize elephant Jumbo was killed September 15, 1885, crossing railroad tracks in St. Thomas, Ontario. Jumbo was so large that the collision derailed the train, and it took 150 people to haul the elephant's body up an embankment away from the tracks. Jumbo's vital statistics: height 11.5 feet, weight 6.5 tons, age 24
Go to the Elephant Page to learn more about these unique animals.
Go to the Asian Elephant for the only other Elephant listed in America Zoo.
From Address Labels to Zoo Toys... All Creatures Great and Small You'll Find It at the America Zoo Gift Shop Realistic Stuffed Animals & Animal Figurines Wildlife Decor for Your Home Animal Books, Magazines, and Educational Materials A Wide Variety of Wildlife Gifts & Apparel and Much, Much More  ↓ For Your Favorite Little Animal Lover ↓
Home Animal Research Library About AmericaZoo
|
