Scientific Name – Loxodonta africana

Classification – Proboscidea (Ungulate)

Gender Names – Male – Bull, Female – Cow, Baby – Calf

Collective Noun – Herd

Average Height – Males – 3 – 4 metres; Females – 2 – 3 metres

Average Length – 6 – 7.5 metres

Average Weight – Males – 5,000 – 6,000 kg; Females – 2,000 – 3,500 kg

Top Speed – 6km/h (4mph) normally; up to 40km/h (25 mph) stampede

Life Expectancy – 50 – 70  years in the wild, 80+ years in captivity

Mating Season – No specific time

Pregnancy – 22 months

Special Features – Long trunks used to pick up things and suck up water, large ivory tusks used for digging roots and stripping bark from trees, large flapping ears used to keep cool.

Family Unit – Older matriarch, female offspring and young; males leave the females at 16 years and either join other males or remain solitary. They visit female groups for mating.

Geographical Distribution – Central and Southern Africa

World Population – 500,000 – 700,000 (approx)

Conservation Status – Vulnerable

Natural Habitat – Savanna plains, African rainforest

Diet – Herbivore (vegetarian) – roots, grasses, fruit, and bark

Predators – Adults – Man; Babies – Man, lions, crocodiles, hyenas, cheetahs,

 

Mammals Pages

Features  Classification  Mammals A – Z