Vegetation tree cover and food resources and water limitation during the dry seasons are the main drivers of savanna elephant movements. In this case, any population decline caused by poaching, bushmeat trade, logging operations, and natural resource extraction is more devastating. The african savanna, or bush, elephant loxodonta africana weighs up to 8,000 kg 9 tons and stands 3 to 4 metres 10 to feet at the shoulder. Central africa elephant conservation strategy iucn. Humanelephant conflict impacts savanna elephant populations. Since an elephant can eat over 600 pounds of food a day, even a small herd can wipe out a farmers annual crop in a single night.
Pdf forest elephant movement and habitat use in a tropical forest. The african bush elephant loxodonta africana is the lairger o the twa species o african elephant baith it an the african forest elephant hae in the past been classifeed as a single species, kent simply as the african elephant, but recent preliminar evidence haes seen the forest elephant classifeed as a distinct species awtho this status is no conclusively acceptit due tae concerns ower. Sri lanka has an impressive amount of elephants for such a small country just 25,330 sq miles. Although it was once presumed that all elephants were of the same species many theories have come along to disprove the assumption. Baby african bush elephants can weigh 220 pounds at birth. African elephants are sometimes categorized into savanna elephants and forest elephants. Then some of the behavioral adaptations are that the elephants use their tusks to make water holes, which then they lay in the mud to cool downprotect them from getting sunburned. African elephant actually two separate species live. There are two subspecies of african elephantsthe savanna or bush elephant and the forest elephant.
The african elephant loxodonta is a genus comprising two living elephant species, the african bush elephant l. The african forest elephant loxodonta cyclotis is an elephant which lives in the forests of the congo basin. Elephants from the tropical forests of africa are morphologically distinct from savannah or bush elephants. Loxodonta africana blumenbach, 1797 and loxodonta cyclotis matschie, 1900 cover page footnote the help received from staff of many museums and national parks where data have been collected is greatly appreciated. Dartbiopsy samples from 195 freeranging african elephants in 21 populations were examined for dna sequence variation in four nuclear genes 1732 base pairs. Pdf poaching is rapidly extirpating african forest elephants loxodonta. Killings are often retaliatory as elephants eat and trample crops, raid food stores, and damage village infrastructure including precious water sources. It is thought to actually be its own elephant species and one of the three which is the smallest of them. Is this an african bush elephant or an african forest. Pdf poaching of forest elephants loxodonta cyclotis for ivory has decimated. It is often considered a separate species from the african bush elephant loxodonta africana. African forest elephant loxodonta cyclotis animals a. Savanna elephants are larger than forest elephants, and their tusks curve outwards. Phylogenetic distinctions between african forest elephant and savannah elephant populations corresponded to 58% of the.
The sexually mature age of these elephants is not until 23 and then the average gestation period is about two years. African elephant, facts and photos national geographic. The african forest elephant loxodonta cyclotis is one of the two living african elephant species. It is the smallest of the three extant species of elephant, but still one of the largest living terrestrial animals. See more ideas about african forest elephant, african, elephant. The african forest elephant loxodonta cyclotis is a forestdwelling species of elephant found in the congo basin. The impacts of african elephant loxodonta africana on. Andrea turkalo, a researcher who has spent more than twenty years camped out near a bai, or clearing, in the dzangandoki national park, in the central african republic, talks about the lives.
The african elephant is the largest land animal on earth. The ecology of forest elephant distribution and its implications for. Background and importance of forest elephants forest elephant loxodonta africana cyclotis poaching in tropical africa is a big threat for the dynamic of this iconic species. Apart from being the largest land animal, elephants are also one of the most widely known animals, recognized and largely depicted in popular culture. It is the smallest of the three living elephant species, reaching a shoulder height of 2. The african bush elephants tongue also weighs about 11 pounds.
Only one lives in captivity, housed in the paris zoo. Forest elephants engineer and alter vast tract of habitat in the forest of central africa. It is native to humid forests in west africa and the congo basin. Basic facts about elephants global sanctuary for elephants. African bush elephant facts, lifespan, habitat, behavior. Although these two elephant species are very similar, the african forest. They are the largest living animals on the planet with some being as tall as feet. Forest elephant movement and habitat use in a tropical forest. Although the role of fire in determining edge dynamics has been relatively well explored, the role of megaherbivores, specifically elephants, has not received as much attention. African forest elephant simple english wikipedia, the. Forest elephants are prolific fruit eaters, and their snacking spreads seeds far and wide. Despite their key role in forest ecosystems, few data on forest elephant ecology. The savanna elephant is larger than the forest elephant, has sparser body hair, more triangular ears that are larger. The african forest elephant loxodonta cyclotis, which lives in rainforests, was recognized as a separate species in 2000 and is smaller than the savanna elephant.
Elephants are the largest land mammals, but they still manage to lie down to sleep. Forest elephants are allies in the fight against climate change, finds research 17 july 2019, by ahimsa camposarceiz credit. Amazingly there are 3 baby elephants who have now joined the squad a result of the female elephants being sent into the forest to placate the wild males. The role of forest elephants in shaping tropical forest. Forest elephants are allies in the fight against climate. Pdf the ecological consequences of forest elephant declines for.
However, since the two groups can interbreed successfully, they may only be separate subspecies of loxodonta africana. Elephants did not use the available habitats randomly the forest and futi floodplain were preferred, while mangroves, tidal wetlands and the maputo floodplain were seldom, if ever, used. African forest elephant african forest elephant classification and evolution. Relative habitat use of duikers, bush pigs, and elephants. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear dna of african bush and forest elephants, asian elephant, woolly mammoth and american mastodon revealed that the african bush elephant and the african forest elephant form a sister group that genetically diverged at least 1. Shelby fazio introduction the story of the protection and conservation of the african elephant loxodonta africana is widely regarded as an astounding success as parks and reserves all over africa report. Most of the forest elephants can be found in the dense forests of the democratic republic of congo, the central african republic and cameroon, according to peter stephenson, coordinator of the world wildlife funds. Without a sense of scale african forest elephants are about 4.
See the fact file below for more information on the african elephant or alternatively, you can download our 28page african elephants worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment. Among them, african bush elephants are the largest standing about 11 feet tall at the shoulder, while the african forest elephants are the smallest reaching near about 8 feet tall. African elephant really two wildly different species. Male african elephants can reach 3m tall and weigh between 4,000 7,500kg. African forest elephant facts, diet, behavior, lifestyle.
National geographic kids is an exciting monthly read for planetpassionate boys and girls, aged 6. African elephants are the largest land animals on earth sometimes weighing more than five. The dna tests, however, indicated that the two populations forest and bush were much more different compared to what was previously believed indeed, in its genetic makeup, the forest elephant is almost twothirds as distinct from the african bush elephant as the asian elephant is. Their migration tramples the ground and opens paths, allowing seeds to take root and grow the forest. The african forest elephant is one of two elephant subspecies found on the african continent. Elephant species include the african bush elephant loxodonta africana and asiatic elephant elephas maximus, both of which sleep on their sides for long periods or cat nap while standing, leaning against a tree for support.
Smaller than the african savanna elephant, the forest elephant weighs around 5,950 lbs 2. Savanna bush elephants are larger than forest elephants and their. The african forest elephant is an mammal that lives in the congo basin. And their large ears allow them to radiate excess heat. The data also indicated there was scant interbreeding between the african forest and savanna elephants. Genetic evidence for two species of elephant in africa. Likewise, the herds of african forest elephants contain the lowest number of individuals 28. In fact, studies suggest that sri lanka has the highest density of elephants in asia but the countrys elephant habitat mostly the lowland portions of the. They have grey skin and differ in the size of their ears and tusks, and in. This work increases awareness of the forthcoming forest elephant loss as well as the incentives for conservation jel classification. It is often considered a separate species from the african bush elephant loxodonta africana a 2010 study said that the two elephants were two different species. The female african bush elephant can be pregnant for 23 months about 2 years. Duikers, bush pigs, elephants in an uganda forest 115 strip on the trail was scanned at monthly intervals for pellet groups, dung heaps, and diggings made by ungulates e. Although the african forest elephant is slightly smaller than the african bush elephant, it is still one of the largest animals found on land today.
Both sexes have straight, downpointing tusks, which erupt when they are years old. The savanna elephant tips the scales at up to seven tons and stands a full meter 3. Savannah elephants are found predominantly in eastern and southern africa while forest elephants live primarily in the congo basin of central africa. As a digging was considered a 1050 em deep burrow which was practically clean of. The little baby elephants hold on to the mothers tail, but if there is danger they herd the calves into a bunch and then the biggest elephants make a circle around. Of the roughly 500,000 elephants in africa, about 150,000 are forest elephants and 350,000 are savanna elephants, experts said. Forest edges that border savanna are dynamic features of tropical landscapes. African forest elephants are under far greater poaching threat than savannah elephants, which in some areas are seeing large population increases. Forest elephants have the slowest reproductive rate of the three elephant species. The african forest elephant is the smallest of all the three major species of elephants.
Relative habitat use of duikers, bush pigs, and elephants in virgin and selectively logged areas of the kibale forest, uganda. African elephants live in a wide variety of habitats, from tropical swamp forests to deserts. As a result, both african forest and african bush elephants show significant morphological and genetic differences. There are some physical and genetic differences, but scientists are still arguing over whether the. Of the two species of elephants, the african bush elephant is the larger. Forest elephants are vanishing, and they might never. African forest elephant wikipedia republished wiki 2. Upper incisor teeth develop into tusks in african elephants and grow throughout their lifetime. By bush elephant if you mean african savanna elephant then one cant really tell from the photo. Facts on elephants ecology of the african bush elephant. The african elephant once inhabited most of the continent.