Taxonomic Classification (Elephant)

Elephants are part of the family Elephantidae within the order Proboscidea. Three extant species are recognized today: African bush, African forest, and Asian elephant.

The African bush elephant is the largest, known for its ears shaped like the African continent. Meanwhile, the African forest elephant, smaller and darker, lives in dense tropical forests.

On the other side of the globe, the Asian elephant is primarily found in the forests and grasslands of the Southeast Asian region. Three recognized subspecies exist: the Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan elephants.

Additionally, recent studies add a fourth subspecies, the Bornean elephant. This population, residing in northern Borneo, sets itself apart by its smaller build yet larger ears, extended tail, and straight tusks. Genetic examinations reveal their diversion from their mainland counterparts about 300,000 years ago. 

According to a 2003 study, this elephant population from Borneo shares its DNA makeup with the elephants that once roamed the Sunda Islands1. The study further suggests a prolonged separation of the Borneo elephants from Southeast Asian elephant populations since the Pleistocene era.

In the following sections, learn where each of them lives and how to distinguish them from each other easily.

African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

African Savanna Elephants are the largest terrestrial animals in the world. They are also known as the African bush elephant. Male elephants stand up to 13 feet tall and weigh up to 23,000 pounds. They have large ears and a versatile trunk; their skin is wrinkled and grey-brown. 

These giant herbivores consume almost 330 pounds of food daily throughout various environments across sub-Saharan Africa.

The oldest female in a herd usually leads the group, acting as the matriarch to ensure the safety and well-being of the herd. Moreover, these African elephants engage in practical, fun activities like mud-bathing, protecting themselves from the sun, and keeping parasites away.

African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

African Forest Elephants live in the dense forests of West and Central Africa. While they live on the same continent, they are a separate species from the savanna elephant. They typically grow up to 9.8 feet tall and weigh up to 15,400 pounds. They also have round heads and straight tusks. 

It mostly eats leaves, tree bark, and a variety of fruits. These types of elephants are the most frugivorous among the elephant species. They defecate the seeds as they travel long distances, making them mega gardeners of the forest.

However, this smaller African Elephant faces rampant deforestation and relentless poaching driven by the global demand for ivory. Their slow reproduction rate makes their survival even more challenging.

Studying them is challenging for scientists since these elephants are shy and tend to gather in smaller family units. Moreover, their habitats are relatively inaccessible.

Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Asian Elephants inhabit various habitats ranging from India and Nepal to Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, and Malaysia. 

They are smaller than their African counterparts, standing at 9 feet and weighing 8,800 pounds on average. Their heads have two humps and small, rounded ears. 

Only male Asian elephants have long tusks, while females have small ones called tushes. However, some may never grow tusks, depending on their genetic makeup. These megaherbivores consume up to 330 pounds of vegetation daily, including grass, leaves, shoots, barks, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Sri Lankan Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus)

The Sri Lankan elephant is the largest Asian elephant species. They can grow up to 11.5 feet tall and up to 12,100 pounds. They have a darker skin tone and unique patches of depigmentation on their ears, face, trunk, and belly. 

This elephant inhabits the dry zones of Sri Lanka and feeds on grasses, leaves, stems, and bark, consuming up to 150 kg of food daily. They are social animals whose herds typically consist of 12-20 individuals, led by the oldest female.

Elephants hold centuries-long significance in Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil cultures, featuring prominently in heraldic symbols, coats of arms, and flags. Integral to religious processions, Buddhist and Hindu temples have often kept their own elephants, indicating a deep-rooted human-elephant co-existence.

Unfortunately, Sri Lankan elephants face threats from human encroachment2, land mines, and occasional ivory poaching. With high elephant mortality rates, an annual average of 370 deaths were recorded in recent years.

Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)

Indian elephants can grow up to 9.8 feet and weigh 11,000 pounds. They are darker than the previous subspecies, with some lighter on their skin.

The Indian elephant holds significant symbolic stature throughout Asia, particularly in India, Thailand, and Laos. Revered in various religious traditions, they're often seen as deities symbolizing strength and wisdom. They serve as national animals in Thailand and Laos and as a national heritage animal in India.

Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus)

The Sumatran Elephant lives in the lush rainforests of Sumatra. They can reach up to 10.5 feet and 8,800 pounds. Their skin is lighter than the two previous subspecies and has the least depigmentation.

Borneo Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis)

Borneo Pygmy Elephants are the smallest subspecies of Asian elephants, standing up to 9.8 feet. They live in Southeast Asia's rainforests, particularly on Borneo Island. These elephants have rounder faces, oversized ears, and a tail that often brush the forest floor.

African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

African Forest Elephants live in the dense forests of West and Central Africa. While they live on the same continent, they are a separate species from the savanna elephant. They typically grow up to 9.8 feet tall and weigh up to 15,400 pounds. They also have round heads and straight tusks. 

It mostly eats leaves, tree bark, and a variety of fruits. These types of elephants are the most frugivorous among the elephant species. They defecate the seeds as they travel long distances, making them mega gardeners of the forest.

However, this smaller African Elephant faces rampant deforestation and relentless poaching driven by the global demand for ivory. Their slow reproduction rate makes their survival even more challenging.

Studying them is challenging for scientists since these elephants are shy and tend to gather in smaller family units. Moreover, their habitats are relatively inaccessible.

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surface area.[9] With nearly 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about 18% of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest among all the continents;[10][11] the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4.[12] Based on 2024 projections, Africa's population will reach 3.8 billion people by 2099.[13] Africa is the least wealthy inhabited continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, ahead of Oceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography, climate,[14] corruption,[14] colonialism, the Cold War,[15][16] and neocolonialism. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and a large and young population make Africa an important economic market in the broader global context. Africa has a large quantity of natural resources and food resources, including diamonds, sugar, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum, natural gas, cocoa beans, and tropical fruit.

Africa

#	Country	Population
(2024)	Land Area
(Km²)	Density
(P/Km²)
1	Nigeria	232,679,478	910,770	255
2	Ethiopia	132,059,767	1,000,000	132
3	Egypt	116,538,258	995,450	117
4	Democratic Republic of the Congo	109,276,265	2,267,050	48
5	Tanzania	68,560,157	885,800	77
6	South Africa	64,007,187	1,213,090	53
7	Kenya	56,432,944	569,140	99
8	Sudan	50,448,963	1,765,048	29
9	Uganda	50,015,092	199,810	250
10	Algeria	46,814,308	2,381,740	20
11	Morocco	38,081,173	446,300	85
12	Angola	37,885,849	1,246,700	30
13	Mozambique	34,631,766	786,380	44
14	Ghana	34,427,414	227,540	151
15	Madagascar	31,964,956	581,795	55
16	Côte d'Ivoire	31,934,230	318,000	100
17	Cameroon	29,123,744	472,710	62
18	Niger	27,032,412	1,266,700	21
19	Mali	24,478,595	1,220,190	20
20	Burkina Faso	23,548,781	273,600	86
21	Malawi	21,655,286	94,280	230
22	Zambia	21,314,956	743,390	29
23	Chad	20,299,123	1,259,200	16
24	Somalia	19,009,151	627,340	30
25	Senegal	18,501,984	192,530	96
26	Zimbabwe	16,634,373	386,850	43
27	Guinea	14,754,785	245,720	60
28	Benin	14,462,724	112,760	128
29	Rwanda	14,256,567	24,670	578
30	Burundi	14,047,786	25,680	547
31	Tunisia	12,277,109	155,360	79
32	South Sudan	11,943,408	610,952	20
33	Togo	9,515,236	54,390	175
34	Sierra Leone	8,642,022	72,180	120
35	Libya	7,381,023	1,759,540	4
36	Congo	6,332,961	341,500	19
37	Liberia	5,612,817	96,320	58
38	Central African Republic	5,330,690	622,980	9
39	Mauritania	5,169,395	1,030,700	5
40	Eritrea	3,535,603	101,000	35
41	Namibia	3,030,131	823,290	4
42	Gambia	2,759,988	10,120	273
43	Gabon	2,538,952	257,670	10
44	Botswana	2,521,139	566,730	4
45	Lesotho	2,337,423	30,360	77
46	Guinea-Bissau	2,201,352	28,120	78
47	Equatorial Guinea	1,892,516	28,050	67
48	Mauritius	1,271,169	2,030	626
49	Eswatini	1,242,822	17,200	72
50	Djibouti	1,168,722	23,180	50
51	Réunion	878,591	2,500	351
52	Comoros	866,628	1,861	466
53	Western Sahara	590,506	266,000	2
54	Cabo Verde	524,877	4,030	130
55	Mayotte	326,505	375	871
56	Sao Tome and Principe	235,536	960	245
57	Seychelles	130,418	460	284
58	Saint Helena	5,237	390	13

African elephants (Loxodonta). African bush elephant (L. africana) and the smaller African forest

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Beautiful shot of an african elephant walking on the road with a blurred background

Beautiful shot of an african elephant walking on the road with a blurred background

Attack by dangerous male elephant in Africa

Dangerous male africa elephant attack. Attack by dangerous male elephant in Africa........... 

African Forest Elephants’s Movements Depend on Their Personalities

African forest elephants roam the dense rainforests of West and Central Africa where they subsist largely on a diet of fruit. They shape forests by dispersing fruit and seeds, browsing, and creating an extensive trail network.

African Marigolds

These tall and stately plants make beautiful borders along fences, at the back of perennial beds to set off other flowers, and as a large patch all on their own. African marigolds (Tagetes erecta) are good for cutting for arrangements with long, sturdy stems and good vase life. They are relatively low-maintenance summer flowers and thrive in hot, dry conditions. Here are a few of the prettiest varieties of African marigolds to try:

African Striped Weasel (Poecilogale albinucha)

The African Striped Weasel is a small and brave creature found across the savannas and forests of Africa. They have a striking striped coat that helps them blend into the background and avoid predators. These nocturnal animals eat small rodents, birds, insects, and fruit.

During mating season, the females give birth to 2-3 blind and helpless babies. These little ones grow up quickly and show the same resilience as their parents.

African Rock Python (Python sebae)

The African Rock Python is a large snake species native to sub-Saharan Africa, thriving in savannas, rainforests, and marshlands. 

They are known for their impressive size; on average, they can stretch up to 11 feet. However, some specimens reached almost 20 feet. Their skin features dark brown blotches on a light brown or olive backdrop, which helps them blend into their surroundings.

African Rock Pythons prey on rodents, monkeys, antelopes, and crocodiles. Their hunting technique involves constricting their prey.

North African Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata)

The North African Crested Porcupine is one of the largest rodents in the world. Its black or brown body is covered with porcupine quills that can reach up to 14 inches. It prefers rocky terrain, where it spends most of the day in complex burrows. 

While generally peaceful, the Crested Porcupine will fight back when it perceives an immediate threat.

Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis)

The Cape Porcupine has black quills with white or yellowish stripes, a crucial defense mechanism. It lives in a wide range of habitats across Africa. 

While primarily an herbivore, Cape Porcupines also gnaw on bones to supplement their diet with calcium. They are also good swimmers and climbers.