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Ele phant = arch great
Earths largest land mammal
3 species:
African savanna, Loxodonta africana
African forest, Loxodonta cyclotis
Asian, Elephas maximus
In 37 countries in Africa, 13 in Asia (2013). Once spanned continuous tracts across the continents, now live in increasingly fragmented areas
Extremely adaptable
Maximum life span approx. 70 years
Brain weighs 4-6 kg, the largest of living and extinct terrestrial mammals
Like humans, are able to make and use tools, and show evidence of social learning
Advanced acoustic, visual, chemical and tactile communication
Able to communicate and maintain contact with other elephants over long distances using seismic communication signals, which they absorb through their feet
Able to discriminate between the voices of at least 100 other elephants
Trunk, a fusion of upper lip and elongated nose weights up to 140 kg, can pick up a straw, push over a huge tree, tenderly touch family members, pour 12 litres of water into its mouth, detect scents over several kilometres
Tusks - elongated incisors - ivory has been coveted by humans for tens of thousands of years and has had lasting impact on art and culture
Skin is up to 32 mm thick in places and almost paper thin in others
Females can give birth to up to 12 offspring
Daily food intake 4-7% of body weight
Diet includes grass, herbs, tree foliage, fruit, bark, pith, lianes
Interbirth interval: 4-6 years
Gestation: about 660 days
Age at first reproduction: 8-15 years
Age at first musth: 15-28 years
Basic social unit is the family, which includes a mother and her sexually immature offspring
Live in complex fission-fusion societies, that separate and reunite based on weather conditions and food availability
Families are led by matriarchs, who store decades of ecological knowledge that is critical for the survival of the family unit and members through droughts, predation and other threats
Tend to have lifelong or long-lasting social bonds
Demonstrate socio-emotional complexities, such as empathy and self-recognition
Display concern for distressed and dying elephants, not restricted to close kin

Property

African savannaLoxodonta africana

African forestLoxodonta cyclotis

AsianElephas maximus

Population and status

Population 2016 (Estimates)

352,271 + 22,711 = 374,982

Declining

Population 2012 (Estimates)

434,000–550,000

60,000–150,000

Approx. 30,000 wild; 15,000 captive

Population 2008 (Estimates)

490,000–575,000

100,000–160,000

Approx. 30,000 wild; 15,000 captive

Population 1979 (Estimates)

1.3 million both African species

See African savanna

28,000–42,000

IUCN Status

Endangered

Critically endangered

Endangered

Range states

37 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa Native: Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Africa; Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe Regionally extinct: Burundi; Gambia; Mauritania Reintroduced: Swaziland

Found most commonly in countries with dense forests: Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cameroon and Central African Republic in central Africa and Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Ghana in West Africa

Native: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatera), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia), Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam Regionally extinct: Pakistan

Physical measurements

Ave. max height male

Almost 4 m

2.4 m

Almost 3.5 m

Ave. max height female

Almost 2.7 m

1.98 m

2.4 m

Ave. max weight male

6,000 kg

–

5,500 kg

Ave. max weight female

2,767 kg

–

Ave. weight newborn

120 kg

–

90 kg

Ave. age at male independence

14 years

–

Body shape and characteristics

Back shape

Concave

Convex

Highest point

Shoulders

Head

Ears

Very large triangular

Typically smaller, more rounded

Smaller, triangular, prominent ear folds

Skin

Wrinkled

–

Smoother than savanna

Teeth

Lozenge-shaped loops

Narrow compressed loops

Mandible

Short and wide

Long and narrow

–

Trunk

Two finger-like tips

One finger-like tip

Toenails

Four on forefoot; three on hindfoot

Five on forefoot; three on hindfoot

Five on forefeet, four on hind foot

Tusks and ivory

Tusks, male

Thicker, more upcurved than forest

More slender and straighter than savanna

Yes, but many are tuskless

Tusks, female

Thicker, more upcurved than forest

More slender and straighter than savanna

Vestigial or absent

Tusklessness

More common in females; % varies depending on ivory hunting pressure

% varies from population to population

Males: Varies from population to population

Tusks, ave. max weight

7 kg female; 49 kg male

–

Tusk, max. recorded weight

97.3 kg

–

Ivory

Softer and more yellow than forest

Harder and "pinker" than savanna

–

Behaviour and habitat

Temporal gland secretion

Both sexes; common in females

Both sexes; uncommon in females

Both sexes; very rare in females

Sound production

As low as 10 Hz

As low as 5 Hz

As low as 8 Hz

Males

Form bachelor groups

Form bachelor groups rarely

Average home range

Up to 11,000 km² (desert elephants)

Up to 2,000 km²

Up to 4,000 km²

Predators

Humans; juveniles, calves: lions, hyenas

Humans

Humans, tigers

Major Threats

Poaching for ivory and meat. Illegal hunting. Loss and fragmentation of habitat due to expansion of human population and land development. Human-elephant conflict mainly due to habitat encroachment.

Forest elephants face the threats of poaching for ivory and habitat loss, similar to other elephants, but they also are more frequently hunted for meat and threatened by industries extracting natural resources, such as wood, minerals, and oil. Forest elephants have not benefited from development of an ecotourism industry that encourages their protection.

Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, which also leads to human-elephant conflict and death. Asian elephants live among the most dense human populations in the world. Poaching for meat, leather, and ivory.

Population and status

Population 2016 (Estimates)352,271 + 22,711 = 374,982

Population 2012 (Estimates)434,000–550,000

Population 2008 (Estimates)490,000–575,000

Population 1979 (Estimates)1.3 million both African species

IUCN StatusEndangered

Range states37 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa Native: Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Africa; Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe Regionally extinct: Burundi; Gambia; Mauritania Reintroduced: Swaziland

Physical measurements

Ave. max height maleAlmost 4 m

Ave. max height femaleAlmost 2.7 m

Ave. max weight male6,000 kg

Ave. max weight female2,767 kg

Ave. weight newborn120 kg

Ave. age at male independence14 years

Body shape and characteristics

Back shapeConcave

Highest pointShoulders

EarsVery large triangular

SkinWrinkled

TeethLozenge-shaped loops

MandibleShort and wide

TrunkTwo finger-like tips

ToenailsFour on forefoot; three on hindfoot

Tusks and ivory

Tusks, maleThicker, more upcurved than forest

Tusks, femaleThicker, more upcurved than forest

TusklessnessMore common in females; % varies depending on ivory hunting pressure

Tusks, ave. max weight7 kg female; 49 kg male

Tusk, max. recorded weight97.3 kg

IvorySofter and more yellow than forest

Behaviour and habitat

Temporal gland secretionBoth sexes; common in females

Sound productionAs low as 10 Hz

MalesForm bachelor groups

Average home rangeUp to 11,000 km² (desert elephants)

PredatorsHumans; juveniles, calves: lions, hyenas

Major ThreatsPoaching for ivory and meat. Illegal hunting. Loss and fragmentation of habitat due to expansion of human population and land development. Human-elephant conflict mainly due to habitat encroachment.

Egenskap

Afrikansk savanneelefantLoxodonta africana

Afrikansk skogselefantLoxodonta cyclotis

Asiatisk elefantElephas maximus

Bestand og status

Bestand 2016

~374 982

Synkende

Bestand 2012

434 000–550 000

60 000–150 000

~30 000 ville, 15 000 i fangenskap

Bestand 1979

1,3 mill. (begge afrikanske arter)

–

28 000–42 000

IUCN-status

Truet

Fysiske mål

Høyde, hann (maks)

~4 m

2,4 m

~3,5 m

Høyde, hunn (maks)

~2,7 m

1,98 m

2,4 m

Vekt, hann (maks)

6 000 kg

–

5 500 kg

Vekt, nyfødt

120 kg

–

90 kg

Kroppsform og kjennetegn

Rygg

Konkav

Konveks

Høyeste punkt

Skuldre

Hode

Ører

Svært store, trekantede

Mindre, rundere

Mindre, med folder

Snabel

To «fingre»

Én «finger»

Tånegler (for/bak)

4 / 3

5 / 3

5 / 4

Støttenner

Hann

Tykkere, mer oppkrummet

Slankere, rettere

Ja, men mange er uten

Hunn

Tykkere, mer oppkrummet

Slankere, rettere

Minimale eller fraværende

Snittvekt støttenn

7 kg (hunn) / 49 kg (hann)

–

Tyngste registrert

97,3 kg

–

Elfenben

Mykere, gulere

Hardere, rosaere

–

Atferd og habitat

Hanner

Danner ungkargrupper

Sjelden ungkargrupper

Leveområde (maks)

Opptil 11 000 km²

Opptil 2 000 km²

Opptil 4 000 km²

Lydfrekvens (min.)

Ned til 10 Hz

Ned til 5 Hz

Ned til 8 Hz

Predatorer

Mennesker, løver, hyener (unger)

Mennesker

Mennesker, tigre

Bestand og status

Bestand 2016~374 982

Bestand 2012434 000–550 000

Bestand 19791,3 mill. (begge afrikanske arter)

IUCN-statusTruet

Fysiske mål

Høyde, hann (maks)~4 m

Høyde, hunn (maks)~2,7 m

Vekt, hann (maks)6 000 kg

Vekt, nyfødt120 kg

Kroppsform og kjennetegn

RyggKonkav

Høyeste punktSkuldre

ØrerSvært store, trekantede

SnabelTo «fingre»

Tånegler (for/bak)4 / 3

Støttenner

HannTykkere, mer oppkrummet

HunnTykkere, mer oppkrummet

Snittvekt støttenn7 kg (hunn) / 49 kg (hann)

Tyngste registrert97,3 kg

ElfenbenMykere, gulere

Atferd og habitat

HannerDanner ungkargrupper

Leveområde (maks)Opptil 11 000 km²

Lydfrekvens (min.)Ned til 10 Hz

PredatorerMennesker, løver, hyener (unger)

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