AFRICAN ELEPHANT
AFRICAN ELEPHANT Scientific Name: Loxodonta africana Class: Mammalia Order: Proboscidea Physical Adaptations: Trunk containing 100,000 muscles capable of great strength and dexterity Enormous ears that it flaps as threat display or to cool its body Hair on trunk associated with nerve endings providing tactile sensations
Behavioral Adaptations: Lives in herds of related females and their offspring Elephants roam over wide ranges and can walk for hours without rest Elephants communicate by subsonic sounds over distances of up to 4 miles Elephants have been observed using tools
Primary Diet: Wild: leaves, bark, fruit, grass, twigs and roots HERBIVORE
Fun Facts: Elephants may eat as much as 300 lbs of food and drink as much as 50 gallons of water a day
Habitat/Biome: Savannahs, river valleys, thorn bush, dense forest and desert scrub
Loxodonta is Greek for “slanting tooth”
Distribution:
Elephant babies weigh 200+ LBS
Africa south of the Sahara
Additional Notes: Status: Vulnerable Special Notes: IUCN Category: VU CITIES Listing: Appendix 11 Threats Include: Illegal poaching for ivory and meat, loss and fragmentation of habitat
Gestation: 19 to 22 months Weight: females up to 10,000 lbs. males up to 12,000 lbs. Life Span: in captivity up to 60 years Information Sources : 10/2010 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Animal Facts IUCN
Behavioral Adaptations: Lives in herds of related females and their offspring Elephants roam over wide ranges and can walk for hours without rest Elephants communicate by subsonic sounds over distances of up to 4 miles Elephants have been observed using tools
Primary Diet: Wild: leaves, bark, fruit, grass, twigs and roots HERBIVORE
Fun Facts: Elephants may eat as much as 300 lbs of food and drink as much as 50 gallons of water a day
Habitat/Biome: Savannahs, river valleys, thorn bush, dense forest and desert scrub
Loxodonta is Greek for “slanting tooth”
Distribution:
Elephant babies weigh 200+ LBS
Africa south of the Sahara
Additional Notes: Status: Vulnerable Special Notes: IUCN Category: VU CITIES Listing: Appendix 11 Threats Include: Illegal poaching for ivory and meat, loss and fragmentation of habitat
Gestation: 19 to 22 months Weight: females up to 10,000 lbs. males up to 12,000 lbs. Life Span: in captivity up to 60 years Information Sources : 10/2010 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Animal Facts IUCN
