African Elephant (Loxodonta africana). Feeding on leaves from tree.
African Elephant (Loxodonta africana). Feeding on leaves from tree. South Africa The largest land animal Formerly distributed over most of Africa except the driest regions of the Sahara The decline of the elephant is not new first eliminated from North Africa by about the fourth century AD through ivory hunting and then exterminated by settlement of South Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries Populations built back up between 1920 and 1970 but have declined from between 5 10 million to under 1 million due to renewed ivory hunting Numerous bodies exist to protect elephants both nationally and internationally Eats grass and browse up to 5 300 kg of body weight in a 24 hour period Central social unit in elephant society is the mother and her offspring with matriarchal groups forming Males are forced to leave the group at about 10 14 years Females able to conceive at 8 years and then are in oestrus for only 2 6 days after an interval of anything between 3 and 9 years Gestation lasts 650 660 days Young remain with mother for 4 years but sometimes as much as 10 years Thought to live no longer than 65 years
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Photo credit: © John Cancalosi / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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