African Bush Elephant

Perhaps one of the world’s most emotive and iconic animals, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living terrestrial mammal, with the largest recorded individual reaching a massive four metres at the shoulder and weighing an impressive ten tonnes. The African elephant’s brain is bigger than that of any other animal and its skull is exceptionally large, having evolved to support the trunk and the heavy teeth and jaws. The skull comprises up to 25 percent of the elephant’s total body weight.

Preliminary genetic evidence suggests that there may be at least two species of African elephants: the savanna elephant and the forest elephant. The forest elephant can be distinguished from the savanna elephant by its smaller body size, smaller ears, and its straighter, downward-projecting tusks. However, many conservationists believe there is not yet sufficient evidence to justify this distinction, and that premature allocation into more than one species may leave hybrids in an uncertain conservation status.

Elephants are unusual among mammals in that they continue to grow throughout their life, although the rate at which they grow slows after they reach sexual maturity. The hefty body of the African elephant is supported by stocky, pillar-like legs which have thick, heavy, vertically-aligned bones. The African elephant has four toes on the forefeet and three toes on the hind feet, unlike both the forest elephant and the Asian elephant, which each have five toes on the front feet and four toes on the hind feet. The feet are broad and the toes are embedded in a fatty substance which cushions the weight of the animal and enables it to move more quietly.

The thick skin of the African elephant is generally dull brownish-grey, with a sparse scattering of black, bristly hairs. The skin is wrinkly and adapted for keeping the body cool, as the wrinkles increase the surface area of the skin, trapping moisture which then takes much longer to evaporate than if the skin was smooth. The end of the tail is flattened and has a tuft of coarse, crooked hairs.

The characteristic outward-curving tusks of the African elephant are actually elongated upper incisors, which are formed from a unique composition of calcareous materials. Both the male and female African elephant have tusks and, like the rest of the body, the tusks continue to grow throughout the elephant’s life.

The upper lip and nose of all elephant species are elongated and muscular, forming the distinctive trunk. The African elephant uses its trunk to form and amplify vocalisations, to feed from the ground and from trees and shrubs, to break off branches, and to pick leaves, shoots and fruits. It is also used to aid drinking, greeting, touching and other social behaviours. The end of the trunk has two prehensile finger-like lips which are covered in fine, sensory hairs.

The large, oversized ears of the African elephant are distinguished from other elephant species by the presence of overhanging flaps along the upper edges. As well as playing a role in communication, the ears are also important in temperature regulation and heat loss. A rich network of blood vessels is found immediately beneath the thin skin which covers the back of the ears, and when temperatures rise the ears are fanned to help increase the flow of air and cool the blood through evaporation.