Automatically translated. This page was translated automatically from German and has not been reviewed by our editors.Show original
Large mammals
African bush elephants
African bush elephants · Loxodonta africana
The African bush elephant is unmistakable with its trunk, large ears and massive build.
Fact file
- Size
- Bulls reach a total length of 6–7.5 m and a shoulder height of 2.9–4 m, weighing 4,000–6,500 kg, while cows reach 5.4–6.9 m and a shoulder height of 2.5–3.4 m, weighing 2,800–3,500 kg.
- Males and females
- Males become significantly larger and heavier than females; cows stay in family groups, while fully grown bulls range over much larger areas.
- Sounds
- Elephants communicate with complex sounds, some audible to humans, some inaudible, which can travel over several kilometres.
- Diet
- African bush elephants eat a very wide variety of plants, depending on the season more grass or more woody and herbaceous food, and sometimes also preferred fruits such as marula.
- Offspring
- After a gestation period of around 22 months, usually a single calf is born weighing about 75–120 kg; cows give birth at intervals of about 3–4 years, with regional peaks in the rainy season.
How to identify African bush elephants
The African bush elephant is the largest land mammal, with a long, flexible trunk, usually clearly visible tusks, very large ears, a massive body and a tall shoulder height.
The skin is grey-brown, almost hairless, and often takes on the colour of the local soil through frequent dust and mud baths. At the tip of the tail there is a tuft of black bristles, and young animals have a thin coat of bristly hairs.
More in the app
With Wildful Stories+ you also get in the app:
- general viewing tips
- 105 places where you can see African bush elephants
Where African bush elephants live
Namibia
South Africa
Discover African bush elephants on your trip.
The app shows you where and when to see wildlife along your route.
