AFRICAN ELEPHANT Loxodonta africana

Distribution:

They are found in Mocambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Transvaal, Natal, and in two regions in the Cape.

Diet:

They feed on grass, seeds, pods, bark, roots, fruit and twigs.

Habitat:

Elephant are found in a wide variety of habitat from forest to desert.

Habits:

Elephants are highly gregarious animals and move around in family groups.

The leader of each group is normally the oldest and most experienced cow, she is known as the matriarc.

A group may consist of upto 50 elephants, but more than one group may move around together making up large numbers in one herd.

Elephant are not territorial and move around according to seasons and food availability.

They spend most of their lives feeding as they have a rather inefficient digestive system.

They show a high degree of intelligence and emotion.

They will sleep for about 4 or 5 hours a night and rest in the hottest times of the day.

They can eat roughly 180 to 250 kg of food in a 24 hour period and drink about 180 litres of water in the same time span.

The males usually have larger and thicker tusks than the females and have therefore been more heavily poached.

They play a vital role in the whole ecological scheme of the environment in which they live.

They are usually left or right handed, as are people, favouring the use of one tusk over the other.

They will produce 100 kg of dung a day, enriching the soil and feeding a wide variety of other animals.

They are incredibly dexterous with their trunks using them for a variety of functions.

Breeding:

A female will first breed when she is 14 -16 years old.

If the calf is going to be a male calf then the gestation period can be as long as 22 months.

If the calf is going to be a female then the gestation can be as short as 18 months.

Twins have been recorded but are uncommon.

Predators:

Adult Elephants have none but one enemy, man.

The young are sometimes taken by Lion.

Some get stuck in mud wallows and die due to starvation.