African bush elephant

Jumbo and Tonga in Vienna Zoo. (Photo © Jutta Kirchner, Vienna Zoo)

Right upper third molar from a Savanna Elephant. Photo: © Hans Olof Furberg, Hola Folkhögskola

African elephant population distribution

The African elephant is still under threat in some parts of africa, while its starting to become overpopulated in southern africa.

The African bush elephant was a subspecies - (Loxodonta africana africana) - to the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) but hs since been upgraded to a species on its own. The bush elephant is sometimes refered to as the savanna elephant, and belong to the family of elephants

Characteristics

African elephant

The neck is high, and then sloping down again
The skin is very wrenkled all over
Ears are large, looks like african continent
Head is flat, with nu bumps
Forehead is flat and sloaping down
The underlip is short, broad and rounded
Both sexes wear tusks
Tusks are thick and curved forward
21 pairs of ribs
The frontfeet has four nails, the hindfeet three
(not the African forest elephant)
The trunktip has two prehensile protrusions

Compare with the Asian elephant!

Anatomy

Largest living terrestrial animal on earth.

Height up to 4 meter
Weight to 7,500 kg (bulls) 3,500 kg (female)
Trunk weights up to 140 kg
Skin is up to 2.5 cm thick
Brain weights upto 6 kg
Tusk weight up to 50 kg

The African bush elephant has three nails on the hindfeet and four nails on the frontfeet, which is less nails than than the African forest elephant (five front nails and four nails on the hind feet). It has also greater ears (with the shape of africa) , which seldom may meet above the shoulders. The tusks of the African bush elephant is curved and points more forward, and larger and thicker than those of the african forest elephant.

Protection

In June 1997, the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP 10) in Harare, Zimbabwe, proposals from Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe for the transfer of their elephant populations from Appendix I to Appendix II, all other elephant populations in Africa and Asia remain on CITES Appendix I.

31 African savanna elephant in taxidermy collections

Index	Name	Sex	Arrival	Present or last Location
1	♂ -Tim (wild)-	M	2020-02-00	Nairobi National Museum
2	♀ -Dandara-	F	2020-00-00	Pontificia Catholic University Museum
3	♂ -Hugo-	M	2019-12-05	Masai Mara
4	♀ -Binti-	F	2018-01-22	Rhenen Zoo
5	♀ -Sara-	F	2013-00-00	Rostock Zoological Institute
6	♀ -Monica-	F	2011-04-26	Washington National Museum of Natural History
7	♂ -Joca-	M	1995-00-00	Pontificia Catholic University Museum
8	♂ -Tantor-	M	1989-00-00	Royal Ontario Museum
9	♀ -Gipsy (Gypsie)-	F	1984-09-14	Kolmarden Zoo
10	♂ -Jumbo-	M	1979-10-00	Museo Civico di Zoologia
11	♂ -Motty-	M	1978-00-00	London Natural History Museum
12	♂ -Ahmed-	M	1974-00-00	Nairobi National Museum
13	♂ -Katoto-	M	1972-00-00	Basel Natural History Museum
14	♂ -Bushimaie elephant-	M	1958-00-00	Royal Museum for Central Africa
15	♂ -Fénykövi elephant-	M	1955-00-00	Washington National Museum of Natural History
16	♂ -David Sjölanders elephant-	M	1949-05-18	Gothenburg Museum of Natural History
17	♂ -Toto-	M	1939-00-00	Museo Civico di Zoologia
18	♂ -Jumbo II (Safari)-	M	1936-11-26	Washington National Museum of Natural History
19	♀ -Nicholaus IIs elephant-	F	1916-00-00	Russian State Darwin Museum
20	♂ -Duke of Alba elephant-	M	1913-00-00	Madrid National Museum of Natural Sciences
21	♂ -Delia Akeley elephant-	M	1905-00-00	Field Museum
22	♂ -Carl Akeley elephant-	M	1905-00-00	Field Museum
23	♀ -Old Bet-	F	1821-00-00	Barnums American Museum
24	♂ -Sebas pickled elephant-	M		Swedish Museum of Natural History (NRM)
25	♂ -Kito-	M		Naturalis Biodiversity Center
26	♂ -noname (wild)-	M		Bronx Zoo
27	♂ -Bwana-	M		Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Busch Gardens Africa)
28	♂ -Goldschmidt-Rothschild elephant-	M		Naturmuseum Senckenberg
29	♂ -Jumbo-	M		American Museum of Natural History
30	⚪ -unknown-			Hamburg Natural History Museum
31	⚪ -Hola elephant-			Hola school and witch museum