African bush elephant
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
- 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!
Jumbo and Tonga in Vienna Zoo. (Photo © Jutta Kirchner, Vienna Zoo)
The African elephant is still under threat in some parts of africa, while its starting to become overpopulated in southern africa.
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