African Steppe Elephant (African Savannah Elephant)

Loxodonta africana

 The African elephant (Loxodonta africana), also African steppe elephant or African bush elephant, is a species from the elephant family. It is the largest land mammal currently living and at the same time the largest recent land-dwelling animal on earth. In addition to the tusks and the distinctive trunk, the large ears and columnar legs are outstanding features. The African elephant differs from its somewhat smaller relatives, the forest elephant and the Asian elephant, in numerous morphological and anatomical features. The range today covers large parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The animals have adapted to numerous different habitats there, ranging from closed forests and open savannah landscapes to swamp areas and desert-like regions. Overall, however, the occurrence is highly fragmented.

The way of life of the African elephant has been well researched through intensive studies. It is characterized by a strong social character. Female animals and their offspring live in family groups (herds). These in turn form a more closely related clan. The individual herds meet on certain occasions and then separate again. The males form bachelor groups. The various associations use action spaces in which they sometimes wander around in an annual cycle. The animals use different tones in the low frequency range to communicate with each other. The individual individuals can recognize one another based on the sound produced, but also through certain chemical signals. In addition, there is an extensive repertoire of gestures. The cognitive abilities of the African elephant should also be emphasized.

The diet consists of both soft and hard vegetable foods. The composition varies regionally and seasonally. In general, the African elephant spends a large part of its daytime activities eating. Reproduction takes place all year round, regionally there are tendencies towards stronger seasonalization. Bulls come to the Musth once a year, during which they go on a hike in search of cows willing to breed. During the musth, the aggressiveness is increased, rival fights then also take place. The cows' sexual cycle is comparatively long and atypical for mammals. After the birth, he usually takes several years off. Usually a young animal is born after a gestation period of almost two years and grows up in the maternal herd. Young females later remain in the herd, the young males leave it.

The first scientific description of the African elephant took place in 1797 with a formal separation of the African from the Asian elephant. The generic name Loxodonta in use today was not officially introduced until thirty years later. The name refers to the distinctive tooth differences between the Asian and African elephants. In the course of the 20th century several subspecies were distinguished, including the forest elephant of central Africa. According to genetic studies, the latter is now considered an independent species; the other subspecies are not recognized. In tribal history, the African elephant can be documented for the first time in the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. The entire population is considered to be endangered. The main reasons for this are the hunt for ivory and loss of habitat due to the increasing human population. The African elephant is one of the so-called "Big Five" of big game hunting and safari.

The African elephant is the largest living land mammal and is relatively easy to recognize by its trunk, tusks, large ears and columnar legs. The head-trunk length is 600 to 750 cm, the tail is 100 to 150 cm long. According to studies in the Amboseli National Park, an adult bull has a shoulder height of 290 to 370 cm. Cows are on average smaller, measuring between 250 and 300 cm. For the Kruger National Park, the size values ​​for males are a maximum of 345 cm, for females 274 cm, whereby 255 cm is rarely exceeded. Maximum weights for bulls are given as 6048 kg, for cows with 3232 kg. One particularly large individual weighed 6,569 kg. The largest scientifically measured specimen, an animal from Fenykoevi in ​​Angola, had a shoulder height of 400 cm and a weight of around 10 tons, it is today in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. issued.

Source: Wikipedia (Germany)

The head is massive and large, broader in adult bulls than in cows and younger individuals. In contrast to the domed, two-humped forehead of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), the African elephant has a flat, receding forehead. The characteristic large ears measure around 120 cm in width and up to 200 cm in height. Its outline is somewhat reminiscent of the contours of the African continent. They are significantly larger compared to the Asian elephant. The trunk ends in two "fingers", the Asian elephant has only one. Another difference to the Asian elephant can be found in the back course, which is more saddled in the African elephant, so that the highest point is reached on the shoulders. The Asian elephant has a characteristic hump back, the highest point on the body is also on the forehead. The forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), on the other hand, has a straight back line. The general color of the skin corresponds to a pale gray to brown tone, in rare cases light, pigment-free spots are visible. The thickness of the skin reaches up to 40 mm on the legs, the forehead and the back and is generally wrinkled. The body hair is sparsely distributed over the body. Young animals, however, often have a loose, reddish-brown fur. In adult animals, longer hairs are usually only formed on the chin and trunk; they are around 40 mm long. In addition, there is a tuft of up to 50 cm long, sometimes blackish, shiny hair at the end of the tail. The front and rear feet each have five toes. Externally there are four to five hoof-like nails at the front and three to five at the back. The sole is soft and cracked and individually designed. It leaves characteristic rounded traces. Those of the front feet generally exceed those of the hind feet. The length of the hind feet varies from 34 to 54 cm, it is proportional to the shoulder height of an animal.

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