African bush elephant

Loxodonta africana · The African bush elephant is the largest living land animal, and it is native to sub-Saharan Africa.

Also called African savanna elephant, African savannah elephant, Bush elephant, Savanna elephant, Savannah Elephant.

African bush elephant
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0
African bush elephant
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0
African bush elephant
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderProboscidea
FamilyElephantidae
GenusLoxodonta
SpeciesLoxodonta africana

Where it lives

Open grasslands, woodlands and semi-deserts across sub-Saharan Africa.

Fun facts

  • Elephant pregnancy lasts around 22 months, the longest of any mammal.
  • An African bush elephant's huge ears act like fans: flapping them moves air over blood vessels and helps the elephant cool down in hot weather.
  • A newborn calf can struggle to its feet within 30 minutes of birth and walk about 20 minutes after that.
  • Elephants make rumbles that are mostly too low for humans to hear, and these can travel vast distances.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).