Loxodonta africana
MAMMAL
Order Proboscidea

Description
Largest living land mammal. 20-24 feet long, 9-12 feet high at shoulder, weighs up to 17,000 pounds; males larger. Color gray, but varies with soil color since elephants wallow and throw dirt on themselves. Thick, craggy skin sparsely covered with coarse hair. Back dips in the middle, large ears, trunk with two ˇ°fingers.ˇ± Four front toes, three hind toes.

Range
Africa, south of the Sahara.

Status
This species was petitioned for uplisting from threatened to endangered in 1989, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided in 1992 to continue to classify it as threatened. Justification was based upon a reduction in the number of illegally killed elephants after the 1989 ivory trade ban by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Import of African ivory into the United States is prohibited. Lincoln Park Zoo is a member of the Elephant Species Survival Plan.

Habitat
Savanna grassland and forests.

Niche
Herbivorous: eats mainly grasses; leaves, woody parts of trees and shrubs, flowers, fruits and roots are also eaten. Adults need about 330 pounds of food and about 22 gallons of water each day. Young preyed upon by hyenas and lions. Herds follow the same paths over several generations, resulting in wide cuts through the bush. Bull and cow herds live apart; matriarch herds exhibit complex social behavior.

Life History
Reproductive cycle corresponds to seasonal food and water supplies. Bulls enter an aggressive condition called ˇ°musthˇ± during rutting season. Gestation 22 months; birth weight about 265 pounds. Infant suckles with mouth 3-4 years. Maturity at 10 years+. Life span in the wild 15-30 years, in captivity 60-80 years. African elephants do not have a continuous history as beasts of burden but have been trained and used as such.