Weight adult african elephant

Loxodonta adaurora fossil , may belong in Mammuthus Female bush elephants in Tanzania: Females usually live in herds. Play media video An African elephant at a zoo in Japan Bush and forest elephants were formerly considered subspecies [16] of Loxodonta africana. As described in the entry for the forest elephant in the third edition of Mammal Species of the World MSW3 , [17] there is morphological and genetic evidence that they should be considered as separate species. Note the shorter and wider head of L.

Musth[ edit ] Male elephants experience musth , a period of extreme aggression and sexual behavior accompanied with high testosterone levels, lasting a period of 1 month or less. Males often fight with each other during mating season, however they are considered to be very loving and caring toward relatives. They range from altitudes of sea-levels to high mountains. Increasing fragmentation of habitat is an ongoing threat to their survival. Its diet varies according to its habitat; elephants living in forests, partial deserts, and grasslands all eat different proportions of herbs and tree or shrubbery leaves. Elephants inhabiting the shores of Lake Kariba have been recorded eating underwater plant life. That, combined with the long distances it can cover daily in search of more food, contributes notably to the dispersion of many plant seeds that germinate in the middle of a nutrient-filled feces mound.

September 25, Elephant image Shutterstock Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They have characteristic long noses, or trunks; large, floppy ears; and wide, thick legs. There are two species of elephant.