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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing African elephants. There’s debate in the scientific community whether there are two species of African elephants or just one. In this episode we’ll refer to two separate species of African elephants: the savannah elephant and the newly classified forest elephant.

Forest elephants are smaller than savannah elephants - savannah elephants, who stand as the largest living land animals, weigh between 4,400 and 13,450 pounds (2,000-6,100kg) and stand 7 to 13 feet (2.2-4m) at shoulder height with males coming in larger than females; forest elephants average about 6,200 pounds (2812kg) and 5 feet (1.5m) at shoulder height. Forest elephants have 4 toes on their front feet and 3 on their back feet while savannah elephants have 5 on their front and 4 on their back.

The tusks of forest elephants are better adapted for their life in dense forests and are thus straighter and thinner than the savannah elephants swooping tusks. Forest elephants also have rounder ears than their savannah counterparts, however, both species flap their large ears to keep cool in the hot African sun. As their name suggests, African elephants live in Africa. Their populations are mostly fragmented and they no longer inhabit some of their historic range. Savannah elephants find home in savannahs, deserts, beaches, scrub forests, and woodlands while forest elephants are generally restricted to forested areas including rainforests and swamps.

African elephants take mud and dust baths to help keep themselves cool and to protect their skin from sunburn. These large mammals have specialized noses, called a trunk, through which they can breathe like a snorkel or hold water for drinking! African elephants have two finger-like projections on the ends of their trunks which help them grab objects as well as food.

African elephants are herbivores and eat fruits, grasses, bark, and twigs which they’ll consume continuously throughout the day. African elephants don’t sleep much because they need to spend so much time eating! Like beavers, these animals are considered “ecosystem engineers”; they have a large influence over their environments. Elephants dig in river beds during dry spells which creates water holes for animals all around. They also knock over trees which helps keep the savannah from converting into woodlands. These elephants also disperse seeds via their dung; this also creates excellent dung beetle habitat!

Predators to elephants include lions, hyenas, wild dogs, and crocodiles. Typically predators only take young or sickly individuals because adult elephants would be too much trouble. Both male and female African elephants have tusks. For breeding purposes, during parts of the year the males, called bulls, enter an aggressive state. Throughout this time they may rub against trees, dribble urine, and make loud calls.

African elephants breed year round and males can tell when females are ready to mate due to a change in the smell of their urine. The male will pat the female with his trunk and she may run away. He’ll chase her and eventually they’ll both rub each other and then mate. The female may mate with multiple males during this time. Like sperm whales, elephants form matriarchal, or female led, groups. The males live on their own or in small, loose groups. When a female is ready to give birth, she’ll leave her clan for a time before returning with her newborn. Elephants may gestate up to 22 months, but their gestation may be shorter if environmental conditions are optimal.

The group will help raise and protect the calf which will be completely dependent on its mother's milk for its first four months of life. After this it may still nurse occasionally for at least three years and won’t become fully independent until about eight years of age. Female elephants, called cows, reach reproductive maturity earlier than males at around twelve years of age. They’ll typically give birth to around four calves throughout their lives with 2 to 9 years between births. Males reach reproductive maturity around twenty years of age and usually have larger males to content with before they can mate with females.

In the wild, African elephants may reach up to 70 years of age. They’re known to mourn their dead with members of a group having been observed returning to the bones of a deceased matriarch. African elephants are also known to have excellent memories, which makes sense considering they need to remember all the members of their group - which can reach upwards of 70 members - as well as where the best watering holes are! There are, of course, other elephants, too - called Asian elephants - but we’ve talked about them in a previous episode which we encourage you to check out!

For more facts on african elephants, check out the link in the description. Thank you to Jaythen, Dan, Slapstick Genuis, Cabrera, and Zinedine for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!