African forest elephants are considered Critically Endangered and have been hunted for their ivory tusks. These elephants are herbivores and their diet consists of fruits, flowers, shrubs, bark, bushes, twigs, and various other things. To restore the mineral level in their diet, these elephants look to water holes that are full of minerals. These elephants are much smaller than their close relative the Savanna Elephants. Forest elephants have rounded ears and four toenails on their front feet and three on their hind feet. The elephants are extremely intelligent and are capable of producing low-frequency sounds that can travel for miles. They help in maintaining the ecosystem of their habitats. These animals have long pointy tusks with which they move around the bushes and navigate their ways in the forest. They use their wrinkly skin and round ears to radiate the heat from their bodies. These elephants can be quite territorial about their food sources.If you like this fact article on African forest elephants, don’t forget to check out the other articles on white tigers and sheep.
Fun African Forest Elephant Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? N/A
What do they eat? Herbivore
Average litter size? 1
How much do they weigh? 5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they? 59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they? 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like? Gray
Skin Type Skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Critically Endangered
Where you’ll find them? Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae
African Forest Elephant Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is an African Forest Elephant?An African forest elephant is a kind of elephant.What class of animal does an African Forest Elephant belong to?The African forest elephant belongs to the class Mammalia.How many African Forest Elephants are there in the world?African forest elephants are considered Critically Endangered. Back in 1930, there were millions of wild African forest elephants left in the world but as time progressed, and poaching increased, the population of these elephants significantly reduced. By the year 2016, only 111,000 of these elephants left in the world. It was considered by far the sharpest decline of these elephants throughout history. The main reason behind it was poaching for ivory. Among the two known species of African elephants, which are the African forest elephant and the African bush elephant, the former is nearly half the size of the latter. African forest elephants are facing an even greater decline in their population than the African bush elephants. Even though now poaching has significantly reduced, these animals are still exposed to this act which is driving them closer towards extinction. Currently, there are only 415,000 African elephants left in the world.Where does an African Forest Elephant live?African forest elephants live in forests and open savanna grasslands.What is an African Forest Elephant’s habitat?African forest elephants live in Central and West Africa. They are found in the Ivory Coast and Ghana which comprises a thickly grown deciduous forest. They are also found in the rainforests of Gabon and the Central African Republic.Who do African Forest Elephants live with?African forest elephants live in a matriarchal group which means they live in a female-dominated society. The oldest female is called the matriarch. They are known to live in herds.How long does an African Forest Elephant live?The lifespan of an African forest elephant is 60-70 years.How do they reproduce?African forest elephants are polygynous in nature, which means the males mate with multiple females during the breeding season. These elephants prefer older estrus females. The older and more dominant the male elephants are, the more female elephants they mate with. The males get a hormonal change during the breeding season which also increases their level of aggression. A fluid secretes from the temporal glands of these elephants during this period. This phenomenon is known as ‘musth’. The age and the span of this hormonal secretion are directly proportional. This means that the older the elephants are, the longer they experience this phenomenon. Certain behavioral changes are observed among the male elephants during this period.They usually try and spread their scent by rubbing their heads on the bark of the trees. They are also known to emit low-frequency sounds, called the musth rumble. Another activity that is associated with musth is urination, in which the males very slowly drip their urine along their legs to attract the females. This helps in spreading the musth in their body. Female African forest elephants go through three different stages during this period. Firstly, they become extremely alert and cautious about their surrounding environment, secondly, these females separate themselves from their herd, hold their heads high and look around for suitable males. The third stage involves the chasing phenomenon, where the males and the females chase each other around. In the last stage, the elephants take part in physical relationships during which the males usually ward off any other approaching male elephants.What is their conservation status?African forest elephants are considered critically endangered. The WWF (World Wildlife Fund) has initiated efforts to prevent the habitat loss of these wild animals by bringing together countries in the Congo Basin and protecting the wildlife from poaching. Countries that have signed the CITES agreement are banned from any form of international trade of the elephant populations thus promoting elephant conservation. TRAFFIC (The Wildlife Trade Specialists) and WWF together have put together efforts to solidify the laws against poaching and illegal export of these animals. TRAFFIC has also managed to set up the Elephant Trade Database System (EITS) which helps to track any illegal activities undertaken by the human populations, especially harming these endangered elephant species for ivory. WWF has also established MIKE, which is known to monitor any illegal killings of the elephant. The habitat of the African elephant species is hard to study since they live in the interiors of the African rainforest. Hence efforts have been made to introduce thermal screening to facilitate in-depth study on both the species of African elephants, namely, the African bush elephants or the savanna elephants and the African forest elephants.African Forest Elephant Fun FactsWhat do African Forest Elephants look like?African forest elephants are characteristically smaller than savanna elephants, also known as African bush elephants. The shoulder length of the males is wider than that of the females. The forest elephant reaches its full size at the age of 10-12 which is earlier than their close relatives, the African bush elephant. African elephants have gray skin and rough hair covering their body. The color of their body becomes yellowish to reddish in color after the process of wallowing takes place. Wallowing is a process in which the animals rub their body against mud, dirt, or water to find comfort and to cool their bodies from the heat of the sun. The trunk of the African forest elephants consists of around 40-60,000 muscles which makes it extremely strong and well built. The end of the trunk has two finger-like projections. They use their trunks for multiple purposes like lifting things, drinking, producing sounds, or even defending themselves. The length of its tail is diverse in nature. For some African forest elephants, it is short, and for some, it even touches the ground. The African forest elephant has narrower tusks than its close relative, the African bush elephant. These animals have long and straight tusks that are pointy and positioned downwards. They use their tusks to navigate inside the dense forest by moving the bushes sideways. These tusks grow from their deciduous teeth and are initially called tushes. When the young African forest elephants turn one year old, the tushes are restored by tusks. The tusks are pinkish in color and they grow for their whole lives. They use them to mark the surrounding trees and also protect their trunk from unfavorable conditions. These forest elephants from Africa have rounded ears, unlike the African Bush Elephants. Their rounded ears help them to radiate heat from their bodies. The African forest elephant also has a smaller head than the African bush elephants. They have four toes on their front feet and three toes on the hind feet, whereas, the African bush elephants have five toes on their front feet and four toes on their back feet.How cute are they?African forest elephants are extremely cute. They are the smaller of the two types of African elephants. Their wrinkled skin, round ears, long trunk, thin tails, and rounded feet make them very adorable to look at.How do they communicate?African forest elephants can communicate with each other by producing various distinct sounds. They can also communicate by sensing vibrations with their feet on the ground and locate sources of food. They can also use their feet for vibrations created from the elephant calls even if the source of the sound is miles away. They are also able to produce low-pitched rumbling sounds that can travel miles. African Forest Elephants also communicate with each other using gestures by moving their trunks. Certain trunk movements can indicate things like aggression, mating, death, mother and child interactions, social interactions, and a lot more other thingsHow big is an African Forest Elephant?African forest elephants are smaller in size than African bush elephants. Some of these African bush elephants can be double the size of African forest elephants. These elephants, living in Central Africa and West Africa measure up to 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m). Whereas the African bush elephant measures up to 156 in (3.9 m) in height and 288 in (7.3 m) in length. The females are usually smaller than the males.How fast can an African Forest Elephant move?African forest elephants can run at a speed of 24 mph (38.6 kph).How much does an African Forest Elephant weigh?As an adult, an African forest elephant weighs around 5952.4 lb (2700 kg).What are their male and female names of the species?The adult male African forest elephant is called a bull whereas the adult female African forest elephant is called a cow.What would you call a baby African Forest Elephant?A young African forest elephant is called a calf. The babies weigh around 200 lb (91 kg).What do they eat?African forest elephants are herbivores. Their diet consists of all types of things like trees, bushes, twigs, bark, roots, and many varieties of different fruits available in the Central Africa and West Africa forests. The African elephants, in order to replenish the mineral content in the body, look for water holes that have high mineral content. They also go for something called the mineral lick for restoring the minerals.Are they dangerous?African forest elephants are extremely intelligent creatures and they can be quite territorial. To defend its family it occasionally might attack others. They also have sharp and pointy tusks that can be dangerous if they charge. The bulls also show an increased level of aggression during the breeding season which makes them dangerous. African elephants also have a pretty strong muscular trunk which they can use to defend themselves or attack. They can also run at a speed of 24 mph which is quite a speed owing to their size.Would they make a good pet?African elephants are critically endangered animals that have been exposed to poaching for decades. Elephant conservation restricts and bans the sale of ivory which makes it impossible to keep African elephants as pets.Did you know…The African forest elephant’s habitat is quite difficult to study, which makes the conservation process even more difficult.The reproduction rate of the African forest elephant is extremely low, which makes it hard to conserve the elephant populations. Their reproductive process is even slower than the other species of African elephants. Due to constant poaching for ivory, it is very difficult to keep up with the conservation status of these Central African wild animals.African forest elephants maintain the biodiversity of their habitat and the wildlife in the forests by taking part in the process of dispersing seeds in their droppings.Why is the African Forest Elephant endangered?The African forest elephant is an endangered species since these animals are constantly poached for ivory. There has been a reduction of 62% of the forest elephant population over the last decade. The human populations of Central African countries are also known to hunt these animals for bushmeat which has now become an international business. The forest elephant’s habitat patterns are very difficult to study and scientists have only begun to understand these animals. This also makes it quite difficult to conserve these wildlife animals. The constant deforestation which is cutting down the trees of the forest by the humans has also resulted in their habitat loss and the forests aren’t giving enough to satisfy the diet of the elephants.Different types of ElephantsThere are mainly three major types of elephants found in the world; namely, the African Forest Elephant, the African Bush Elephants, which constitute the African elephant population. There is another type of elephant which is called the Asian Elephant. The African bush elephants are found in the Savanna grasslands which are located in South Africa. African forest elephants are found in the Central African Republic, and other countries in Central and West Africa. Among the two types of African elephants, the African forest elephants are smaller than the African bush elephants. The African forest elephants also have rounded ears, unlike their Savanna brothers. Both species are hunted for their ivory. Forest elephants are more vulnerable to poaching than bush elephants. Asian elephants are smaller than the two species of African elephants. They are characterized by large tusks and are often poached by humans for ivory. These elephants have smaller ears and are considered endangered, like the other elephants.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including takin facts and chimpanzee facts.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable African Forest Elephant coloring pages.
What type of animal is an African Forest Elephant?
An African forest elephant is a kind of elephant.
Fun African Forest Elephant Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? N/A
What do they eat? Herbivore
Average litter size? 1
How much do they weigh? 5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they? 59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they? 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like? Gray
Skin Type Skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Critically Endangered
Where you’ll find them? Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae
Fun African Forest Elephant Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? N/A
What do they eat? Herbivore
Average litter size? 1
How much do they weigh? 5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they? 59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they? 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like? Gray
Skin Type Skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Critically Endangered
Where you’ll find them? Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae
Fun African Forest Elephant Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? N/A
What do they eat? Herbivore
Average litter size? 1
How much do they weigh? 5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they? 59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they? 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like? Gray
Skin Type Skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Critically Endangered
Where you’ll find them? Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae
Fun African Forest Elephant Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? N/A
What do they eat? Herbivore
Average litter size? 1
How much do they weigh? 5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they? 59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they? 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like? Gray
Skin Type Skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Critically Endangered
Where you’ll find them? Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae
What do they prey on? N/A
What do they eat? Herbivore
Average litter size? 1
How much do they weigh? 5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they? 59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they? 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like? Gray
Skin Type Skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Critically Endangered
Where you’ll find them? Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae
What do they prey on? N/A
What do they eat? Herbivore
Average litter size? 1
How much do they weigh? 5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they? 59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they? 96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like? Gray
Skin Type Skin
What were their main threats? Humans
What is their conservation status? Critically Endangered
What do they prey on?
N/A
What do they eat?
Herbivore
Average litter size?
1
How much do they weigh?
5952.4 lb ( 2700 kg)
How long are they?
59 in (1.5 m)
How tall are they?
96-120 in (2.4-3.0 m)
What do they look like?
Gray
Skin Type
Skin
What were their main threats?
Humans
What is their conservation status?
Critically Endangered
Where you’ll find them? Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae
Where you’ll find them?
Rain Forests, Tropical Deciduous Forests
Locations
Africa
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Loxodonta
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Loxodonta
Class Mammalia
Family Elephantidae