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General Characteristics
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African forest elephants are smaller than their close relatives, savanna elephants.
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 African forest elephants also have straighter and thinner tusks that hang more vertically to assist in passage through dense forests.
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They have rounded ears, unlike savanna elephants that have overhanging flaps along the upper edge of the ear.
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 African forest elephants have 4 toes on their front feet and 3 on the hind feet, Elephants have the largest brain of any land animal.
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 The brain is located in the back of the skull away from the forehead.
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 The trunk is more sensitive than human fingers and is used to signal, trumpet, eat, bathe, dust, smell, and in defense.
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Trunks are also used in respiration, especially when elephants swim.
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They can hold their trunks above the water and breathe through them. The large ears of African forest elephants help them regulate temperature because they have few sweat glands.
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 They cool themselves by making a fanning motion with their ears and pump blood into the ears to help dissipate body heat.
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 Elephants have sensitive skin and can be prone to sunburn, especially when young.
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Their wrinkled skin also helps in keeping them cool.
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Elephants can lose 75% of their body heat using the cooling method. Their feet are sensitive and can pick up vibrations through the ground, including thunder and elephant calls from up to 10 miles away.Â
Head to body Length :
Tail Length : Â 3 to 5 feet
Shoulder Height : Males 10.5 feet to ( 3.2 meters )Â / Females – 8 feet ( 2.4 meters )
Weight :Â .Males – 15,000 lbs ( 6,800 kg ) / Females – 8,000 lbs ( 3,600 kg )
Range – West and central equatorial Africa particularly the Congo basin
Habitat – Â Lowland Tropical Rainforest
Food : fruits leaves, bark and rainforest trees
Status : Only about 30,000 to 50,000 African forest remain in the wild
Reason for Status : Ivory trade, bush meat, logging, poaching, and habitat loss.
Gestation : Â 20 to 22 months
Lifespan :Â 70 years in the wild / 54Â years in the captivity
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