African elephant 1416251 225071933 2008-07-11T19:17:51Z Jacoplane 38664 pic {{sprotect2}} {{Taxobox | name = African elephants | image = Elephant in Botswana.JPG | image_caption = | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | ordo = [[Proboscidea]] | familia = [[Elephantidae]] | genus = '''''Loxodonta''''' | genus_authority = Anonymous, 1827 | subdivision_ranks = [[Species]] | subdivision = ''[[Loxodonta adaurora]]'' (extinct)<br> ''[[African Bush Elephant|Loxodonta africana]]''<br> ''[[African Forest Elephant|Loxodonta cyclotis]]'' | range_map=African Elephant distribution map.svg | range_map_caption=Distribution of ''Loxodonta africana'' (2007) }} '''African elephants''' are the two species of [[elephant]]s in the [[genus]] '''''Loxodonta''''', one of the two existing genera in [[Elephantidae]]. Although it is commonly believed that the genus was named by [[Georges Cuvier]] in 1825, Cuvier spelled it ''Loxodonte''. An anonymous author romanized the spelling to ''Loxodonta'' and the [[ICZN]] recognizes this as the proper authority.<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Shoshani|pages=91}}</ref> [[Fossil]] ''Loxodonta'' have only been found in [[Africa]], where they developed in the middle [[Pliocene]]. == Size == Males stand 3.64 meters (12 feet) tall at the shoulder and weigh 5455 kg (12,000 lbs), while females stand 3 meters (10 feet) and weigh 3636 kg to 4545 kg (8,000 to 11,000 lbs). <ref><http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/wildlife_lookUpAnimal_detail.asp?categoryname=&animal=15></ref> ==Teeth== Elephants have four molars; each weighs about 11 lbs and measures about 12 inches long. As the front pair wear down and drop out in pieces, the back pair shift forward and two new molars emerge in the back of the mouth. Elephants replace their teeth six times. At about 40 to 60 years of age the elephant no longer has teeth and will likely die of starvation, a common cause of death. Their tusks are teeth; the second set of incisors become the tusks. They are used for digging for roots and stripping the bark off trees for food, for fighting each other during mating season, and for defending themselves against predators. The tusks weigh from 50-100 pounds and can be from 5 to 8 feet long. Unlike Asian elephants, both bulls and cows have tusks. <ref><http://www.denverzoo.org/animals/asianElephant.asp></ref>. The [[Tooth enamel|enamel plates]] of the [[molars]] are lesser in number than in Asian elephants.<ref name="Domestic">{{cite book | author = Clutton-Brock, Juliet| title = A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals | year = 1987 | pages = pp.208 | id = ISBN 0521346975}}</ref> == Species == *''Loxodonta adaurora'', [[extinct]], presumed antecedent of the modern African elephants. *[[African Bush Elephant]] (''Loxodonta africana'').<ref name=MSW3/> *[[African Forest Elephant]] (''Loxodonta cyclotis'').<ref name=MSW3/> Bush and Forest Elephants were formerly considered [[subspecies]] of the same species ''Loxodonta africana''. However, they are nowadays generally considered to be two distinct species <ref name=MSW3/>. The African Forest Elephant has a longer and narrower mandible, rounder ears, a different number of toenails, straighter and downward tusks, and considerably smaller size. With regard to the number of toenails: the African Bush Elephant normally has 4 toenails on the front foot and 3 on the hind foot, the African Forest Elephant normally has 5 toenails on the front foot and 4 on the hind foot (like the Asian elephant), but hybrids between the two species commonly occur. ==Conservation== [[Image:Ivory trade.jpg|thumb|upright|Men with African elephant tusks, [[Dar es Salaam]], c.&nbsp;1900]] Poaching significantly reduced the population of ''Loxodonta'' in certain regions during the 20th century. An example of this poaching pressure is in the eastern region of Chad—elephant herds there were substantial as recently as 1970, with an estimated population of 400,000; however, by 2006 the number had dwindled to about 10,000. The African elephant nominally has governmental protection, but [[poaching]] is still a serious issue.<ref>{{cite web | title = 100 Slaughtered Elephants Found in Africa | url = http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060830_chad_elephants.html | author = Goudarzi, Sara | date = [[2006-08-30]] | accessdate = 2006-08-31 | work = [http://LiveScience.com LiveScience.com]}}</ref> Human encroachment into or adjacent to natural areas where bush elephants occur has led to recent research into methods of safely driving groups of elephants away from humans, including the discovery that playback of the recorded sounds of angry [[Western honey bee|honey bees]] are remarkably effective at prompting elephants to flee an area.<ref>Lucy E. King, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Fritz Vollrath (2007) African elephants run from the sound of disturbed bees. ''Current Biology'' 17: R832-R833</ref> Some elephant communities have grown so large, in Africa, that some communities have resorted to culling large amounts to help sustain the ecosystem.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4392800.stm] ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:African_Elephant.jpg|A close-up from the Addo Elephant Park, South Africa. Image:bull elephants small.jpg|Bull elephants mock fighting on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania. Image:African elephant sabi.jpg|Bull elephant in the Sabi Sands of South Africa. Image:Makuleke6.JPG|A breeding herd of elephants, entirely cows and young, in the [[Makuleke]] area of the Kruger Park, South Africa. Image:Young bull elephant.jpg|A young bull elephant in a breeding herd displaying mock aggression. Image:African Elephant shower.jpg|A yound elephant taking a shower. </gallery> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/about_elephants.htm Elephant Information Repository] - An in-depth resource on elephants *[http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dmcfarlane/MtElgon/index.htm "Elephant caves" of Mt Elgon National Park] * [http://elephantvoices.org/ ElephantVoices] - Resource on elephant vocal communications * [http://elephanttrust.org/ Amboseli Trust for Elephants] - Interactive web site {{Proboscidea}} [[Category:Elephants]] [[Category:EDGE Species]] [[bs:Afrički slon]] [[ca:Elefant africà]] [[es:Loxodonta]] [[fr:Éléphant d’Afrique]] [[fy:Afrikaanske Oaljefanten]] [[ko:아프리카코끼리속]] [[it:Loxodonta]] [[he:פיל אפריקני]] [[nl:Afrikaanse olifanten]] [[ja:アフリカゾウ属]] [[no:Afrikanske elefanter]] [[pt:Elefante-africano]] [[sl:Afriški slon]] [[fi:Afrikannorsut]] [[sv:Afrikansk elefant]] [[tl:Loxodonta]] [[ta:ஆப்பிரிக்க யானை]] [[zh-yue:非洲象]] [[zh:非洲象]]