Originario de las sabanas, bosques y montañas del África subsahariana, el elefante africano (Loxodonta africana) es un mamífero grande y corpulento de piel grisácea y una característica trompa que le permite emitir sonidos, beber y coger comida. Ambos sexos cuentan con grandes colmillos, y son conocidos por su inteligencia y por establecer fuertes vínculos sociales, sobre todo entre las madres y sus crías. El vínculo entre las hembras de una manada durará toda su vida y, aunque dicha manada se desbande, sus miembros se recordarán y reconocerán si vuelven a encontrarse más adelante.
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Loxodonta africana
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african-elephant
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Animal Facts
An African Savannah elephant’s tusks grow throughout its life; an adult male’s can grow 7cm per year.
In Tanzania, there is an island that has been dubbed ‘Elephant Island’ by locals because elephants will swim there to eat palm leaves and coconuts.
African Savannah elephants give themselves mud baths by spraying water and soil over their backs to protect them from the sun.
Male elephants go through a periodic state called ‘musth’; a time of heightened aggression and fertility due to an increase in testosterone.
African Savannah elephants are very important seed dispersers; the seeds of the plants and trees they eat are spread far and wide in their dung.