The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the world's largest land mammal, weighing up to about seven tonnes and standing up to 3 m at the shoulder. Highly intelligent and social, it uses its trunk as a versatile tool and its huge ears to keep cool. Elephants are abundant and easily seen across the Kruger.
Name
African Elephant [Loxodonta africana]
Introduction
The African Elephant is the world’s largest land mammal that weighs up to 7 Tonnes and can reach heights of 3 m at the shoulder. Elephants have an average lifespan of 70 years. Older bulls can have tusks that weigh up to 55kg with some rare instances of tusks weighing an astounding 90 kg.
Appearance
The African Elephant is a very iconic animal not only in the Kruger National Park, but also worldwide. The African Elephant has a very thick, wrinkled skin that are a dusty grey colour but can also have a reddish-brown colour. He elephant has a large head with large ears. The ears are thin and full of blood vessels that help the elephant regulate its temperature, it has a long trunk that it uses as a controllable appendage to rip leaves from trees and can even pick out a small thorn in its foot with its finger like tip. One of the Elephant’s defensive features are its long tusks that can weigh up to 55kg each. The Elephant has thick, trunk like legs that carries its massive body weight. Though the skin of the elephant is on average 3 cm thick, it is quite sensitive.
Diet
Elephants have a tremendous appetite and can consume up to 280 kg of grass, shoots and bark from trees. Such an amazing hunger is also paired with a big thirst drinking up to 200 litres of water a day. A single elephant can defecate a massive 150 kg of faeces a day.
Breeding
African elephants are non-seasonal breeders as they only produce a single offspring every 3 to 4 years. African Elephants have a gestation period of 22 months. Calves can weigh up to 100 kg and are usually fully weaned by 20 months. When claves are left abandoned, other herds of Elephants will adopt the calf into the herd and take care of it. The reason for tis adoptive nature is Elephant Cows have very strong maternal instincts. Elephant calves develop tusks by 16 months but only start showing by 30 months. Females are sexually active by 11 years and stay in the herd while males, who mature 13 years are expelled. Though males can reproduce early, they usually wait until they are 20 years old or when they have climbed in the hierarchy.
Behaviour
Males that have matured and got expelled from their maternal herds will form bachelor herds and then later some of them will become solitary bulls. Family herds usually consists of an older matriarch with many other cows with their offspring. Though elephants drink a lot of water, they love wading and rolling in the water and mud, not only to cool down but also to get rid of parasites. Many believed that herds are led by a dominant bull but bulls are only in herds if they are looking for a female to mate with. Many family herds have interrelated members which means that the herds know each other well.
Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and each elephant has their own personality and character, making detecting a mock charge difficult at some times. Common signs of an elephant’s mock charge dust throwing, bush breaking, trumpeting and open ears. If an elephant is startled or if it is aggressive, the elephant will shake its ears wildly to display its irritation. After all the attempts to scare off what is threatening it the elephant will become aggressive and charge. A elephant will pin its ears against its body and lower its trunk when it is preparing to charge.
Where can they be found?
Elephants used to roam a large portion of South Africa but because of excessive poaching the elephant was on the brink of extinction. Numbers have greatly increased in the last few decades. The areas they can be seen are very limited to the Kruger National Park and the Addo Elephant Park, which protect the large herds. Due to rigorous conservation efforts, the population has increased from 120 in 1920 to more than 20,000 to date. These amazing animals are always a terrifying yet amazing sight to see while on a Kruger National Park Safari.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is an African elephant, and how long does it live?
African elephants are the largest land animals, weighing up to around seven tonnes and reaching 3 m at the shoulder, with an average lifespan of about 70 years. Older bulls can carry tusks weighing up to 55 kg each, and in rare cases as much as 90 kg.
How much does an elephant eat and drink?
Elephants have enormous appetites, consuming up to about 280 kg of grass, shoots and bark a day and drinking as much as 200 litres of water. Processing all that food means a single elephant can also produce roughly 150 kg of dung daily, which helps disperse seeds across the bushveld.
Why do elephants have such big ears?
An elephant's large, thin ears are packed with blood vessels. By flapping them, the animal cools blood close to the skin's surface and lowers its body temperature in the African heat. Spreading the ears wide also makes an elephant look bigger, which helps warn off a threat.
Where can you see elephants in the Kruger National Park?
Elephants are among the easiest Big Five to see in the Kruger, found across the whole park in family herds led by a matriarch and as lone bulls. They are often encountered near rivers and waterholes, especially in the dry winter, and family groups regularly cross or feed beside the main roads.
Are elephants dangerous?
Elephants are usually peaceful but must always be treated with respect and given plenty of space. Bulls in musth and cows protecting calves can charge, and their size makes them genuinely dangerous. On a guided drive your ranger reads their behaviour and keeps a safe distance, so encounters stay calm.
