Identity & Taxonomy
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammal
Superorder: Afrotheria
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
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| Elephant |
Concern for the survival of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), following the decimation of elephants through the 1970s and 1980s as a result of poaching for ivory, has led to an increased focus on the conservation of the species. However, conservation and management of the African elephant can only be done in light of a good understanding of the elephants themselves - their distribution and density, their movements, behaviour, impact on their ecosystems, and how they respond to contact with humans at the human-wildlife interface
The African elephant is the largest land mammal on Earth and perhaps one of the most intelligent. The trunk of the African elephant has two finger-like structures at its tip that allow the animal to perform both delicate and powerful movements. Its remarkable tusks first appear when the animal is two years of age and continue to grow throughout life. Elephants use tusks for peeling bark off trees, digging for roots, herding young, “drilling” for water and sometimes as a weapon.
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| Elephant |
.Asian elephants are highly endangered and their habitat in Asia has been seriously depleted. There are an estimated 30,000-52,000 in the wild, with about 15,000 in captivity. This number seems large, but there has been a rapid decline and they can only now be found in fragmented habitats, which prevent them from crossing borders and being able to breed freely. The risk is that on the current rate of decline, Asian elephants could become extinct within three generations.
At a glance, Elephant:
- STATUS: Threatened.
- SIZE: Males reach a length of 18 to 21 feet and weigh up to 13,200 pounds. Females are about two feet shorter and weigh half as much.
- RANGE: Throughout Africa south of the Sahara desert.
- POPULATION: 400,000 to 600,000
- HABITAT: Elephants are capable of surviving in nearly any habitat that has adequate quantities of food and water.
- FOOD: Elephants spend about 16 hours a day eating. Their diet is varied and includes grass, leaves, twigs, bark and fruit.
- LIFESPAN: Elephants can live 50 to 60 years.
