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African bush elephant map Loxodonta africana Endangered

Where the african bush elephant lives: an interactive map of recorded sightings worldwide.

Approximate range, based on recorded sightings. Shapes are drawn by World Animal Map from 4,000 wild occurrence records on GBIF (CC0/CC BY 4.0; captive and fossil records excluded, isolated outliers removed), grouped into 1° grid cells and clipped to land. They show where the animal has been recorded, not an official range; gaps can simply mean no open data. Method · Records on GBIF

Male African bush elephant in Etosha National Park
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientific nameLoxodonta africana
StatusEndangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Mapped range layers1
Records used4,000 wild occurrence records (GBIF, CC0/CC BY)
GroupElephants

Population

“In 2016, the global population was estimated at 415,428 ± 20,111 individuals.”

Source cited by Wikipedia: Thouless et al., “African Elephant Status Report 2016: an update from the African Elephant Database”, IUCN SSC African Elephant Specialist Group, 2016. Quoted from Wikipedia: African bush elephant.

Interesting facts

  • The menstrual cycle of cows lasts three to four months, and gestation around 22 months, the longest of any mammal. [source]
  • The African bush elephant is the largest and heaviest living land animal. [source]
  • Rumbles are mainly produced for long-distance communication and cover a broad range of frequencies which are mostly below what a human can hear. [source]
  • Poaching of the elephant has dated back to the years 1970 and 1980, which were considered the largest killings in history. [source]
  • Approximately 42% of the total population lives in nine southern African countries comprising 293,447 ± 16,682 individuals; Africa's largest population lives in Botswana with 131,626 ± 12,508 individuals. [source]

About the african bush elephant

The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), also known as the African savanna elephant, is a species of elephant native to sub-Saharan Africa and the largest living terrestrial animal, with fully grown bulls reaching an average shoulder height of 3.04–3.36 m (10.0–11.0 ft) and a body mass of 5.2–6.9 t (5.7–7.6 short tons); the largest recorded specimen had a shoulder height of 3.96 m (13.0 ft) and an estimated body mass of 10.4 t (11.5 short tons). It is characterised by its long prehensile trunk with two finger-like processes; a concave back; large ears which help reduce body heat; and sturdy tusks that are noticeably curved. Its skin is grey with scanty hairs, and bending cracks which support thermoregulation by retaining water.

Subspecies (1)

Subspecies listed in Wikidata as children of Loxodonta africana (fossil-only taxa excluded). Classification is debated for many animals and lists differ between authorities.

  • Loxodonta africana race
    no open-licence GBIF records

Photos

Herd of African bush elephants drinking in Etosha National Park
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
African bush elephant face close-up in Etosha National Park
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
African bush elephant: African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) eye close-up showing the Musth gland opening
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Text in “About”, “Interesting facts” and “Population” is quoted from the Wikipedia article African bush elephant (revision 1379998009), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: sentences excerpted verbatim, citations and formatting removed. No text added. Taxa and status: Wikidata Q36557 (CC0).

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