Unique facts about African elephant

Unique facts about African elephant. African elephant (Loxodonta africana) which is also known as African Bush elephant or African savanna elephants, the largest land mammals are. Two front incisors African elephant tusks grow into large curved forward.

Elephant males and females alike have tusks. This animal has a trunk tip splitting like fingers, one above and one below. The two ends of the proboscis are called proboscides that allows elephants take small objects and perform other miniscule.

Elephant-African elephant, like most, it requires a lot of food to meet the needs of a great body. This mammal could eat up to 170 kg of food every day. Predators including lion, African elephant, hyenas, and humans.

The basic social Unit in the African elephant is matrilineal. Adult males also formed his own group, while old males sometimes solitary life. Large flocks may also be formed which is a combination of some of the smaller herd.

African elephant are classified as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN. The main threat facing the mainly African elephant poaching and habitat destruction.

Food

The African elephant is an herbivore that eats a variety of plants such as grass, buds, fruits, leaves, roots, and bark.

Size and weight

African elephant adult length ranges from 4 meters to 5 meters with a weight around 4 ⅜-7 ¾ ton.

Habitat

African elephant ever to inhabit the region extending from South of the Sahara desert to the southern tip of Africa and from the West coast of Africa into the Indian Ocean. Currently, the African elephant is mainly found only in a small part of the southern region of Africa.

Reproduction

The female elephant became sexually mature between the ages of 12 to 14 years.

An elephant pregnancy lasts 22 months. When born, the son of a large elephant and gradually self-sufficient. Because children require a lot of care, elephant females only give birth to one child every 5 years. In captivity, the elephants are difficult to breed or even not at all.

Classification

The African elephant is traditionally regarded as one of the two species of elephant. Another elephant species is the Asian elephant. However, many scientists propose three subdivisions of elephant species.

This new classification include the Asian elephant as a species of single and split the African elephant into two species, namely the African savanna elephant and the forest elephant of Africa.

Evolution

The closest relatives of elephants is the manatee. Other close relatives include the rhino and hydraxe. Although currently there are only two (or three) species of elephant that still survive, once there are about 150 species of animals including elephants, such as Arsinoitherium and Desmostylia