East African bush elephants (Loxondonta africana knochenaueri) are the largest land mammal. Males (bulls) weigh 11,000 to 13,200 pounds with a height of 9 to 11 feet, and females (cows) weigh 6,600 to 9,000 pounds with a height over 8 feet. Their trunk, containing the nostrils, is a muscular extension of the upper lip equipped with 2 fingerlike projections for handling small objects. Elephants have 6 sets of cheek teeth, 2 upper and 2 lower, which move into place as the animal outgrows or wears out the previous set. The upper incisors grow continuously, creating the tusks. African elephants have 4 toes on each of the front feet and 3 toes on each of the hind feet. The skin is gray and wrinkled with scattered bristles and sensory hairs. The ears are large, with a network of veins and capillaries to help dissipate heat, and are, curiously, shaped very much like the continent of Africa. The African elephant was once found everywhere south of the Sahara where water and trees occurred. However, its Range and numbers have declined in the past century, first through uncontrolled ivory hunting, and later accelerating with human population growth. Major declines began in the 1970's and 1980's as demand for ivory made poaching a profitable business. Adult elephants consume vast amounts of vegetation daily. They can feed from ground level up to 20 feet - higher than a giraffe can reach! The trunk is capable of coiling around and pulling up grass, picking up items as small as a pea, and tearing off tree limbs. Their tusks are used for prying bark loose from trees, as well as digging pits and even caves in mineral-rich soil to increase salt intake. Their rasplike teeth grind up grasses, reeds, bark and branches. Elephants prefer to bathe and drink daily, consuming as much as 60 gallons of water, but are able to abstain for several days during the dry season while traveling between water sources. Elephants feed up to 16 hours a day and sleep 4 to 5 hours, usually standing. A herd of elephants typically numbers 9 to 11 animals and is a matriarchal society, consisting of a mother with her dependent offspring and grown daughters with their offspring. Adult males live separately, either alone or in bachelor herds. Breeding is not strictly seasonal, with first breeding around 10 years of age; mature males of 25 or older havea better chance of mating. Gestation is 22 months, with intervals between calves averaging 4 to 9 years. Newborn elephants weigh about 265 pounds and remain in constant touch with the mother for the first year. Closely related females will cross suckle each other's calves, and the bond between mother and daughter can last up to 50 years. Not surprisingly, elephants cannot leave the ground (jump). The normal walking rate is 3 to 5mph, but they are able to reach speeds of 25mph when fleeing or charging. Elephants can climb up steep slopes, sit up like begging dogs, and stand semi-erect to reach food.
Predators[]
No land animal is safer from predators than the elephant. Lions and hyenas occasionally take a baby elephant but are rarely given the opportunity due to group defense and protectiveness of the herd. Human poachers are an elephant's biggest predatory threat. Probably fewer than 1-1/2 million elephants survive in all of Africa. Illegal poaching and habitat disruption are threatening the elephant everywhere it occurs outside of parks and reserves, and even within these protected areas poaching is difficult to control.
Conservation Status[]
The East African bush elephant is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN and is listed on Appendix 2 of CITES. There are about 400 East African bush elephants in Zoos, circuses and private facilities in North America.
Controversies[]
Some tourist shows and circuses treat their elephants very, very badly. They often force them to carry tourists or swim for entertainment, and if they don't cooperate, they will hit them in the face with bullhooks.
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