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Learn about elephants, the largest living land animals, and their evolution, distribution, behaviour, and conservation. Compare and contrast the three living species (African bush, forest, and Asian elephants) and their extinct relatives (mammoths, mastodons, and others).
- They’re the world’s largest land animal. The African Savanna (Bush) elephant is the world's largest land animal – with adult males, or bull elephants, standing up to 3m high and weighing up to 6,000kg on average.
- You can tell the three species apart by their ears. There are three species of elephant: African Savanna (Bush), African Forest and Asian. The ears of African elephants are much larger than their cousins and are described as being shaped like the African continent, whereas the ears of Asian elephants are shaped like the Indian subcontinent.
- Their trunks have mad skills. Elephants have around 150,000 muscle units in their trunk. Their trunks are perhaps the most sensitive organ found in any mammal.
- Their tusks are actually teeth. Elephant tusks are actually enlarged incisor teeth which first appear when elephants are around 2 years old. Tusks continue growing throughout their lives.
- Overview
- Adopt Elephant
- Threats Elephants
- Characteristics & Structure
- Role Ecosystems
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This article is about the importance of elephants and their role in shaping ecosystems. It discusses the decline in elephant populations due to habitat loss, poaching for illegal ivory trade, human-elephant conflict etc. The article also highlights the efforts made by WWF to protect elephants through various initiatives such as establishing protect...
Give a gift to help protect the future of nature by making a symbolic adoption in support of WWF's global efforts.
The greatest threat to African elephants is poaching for the illegal ivory trade, while Asian elephant populations are most at risk from habitat loss and resulting human-elephant conflict.
Both male and female African elephants grow tusks, led by matriarch, organized into complex social structures of females and calves with males living in isolation or small bachelor groups. A single calf is born every 4-5 years after 22 months gestation period.
Elephants play pivotal role shaping their habitats, directly influence forest composition and density, disperse seeds, alter broader landscape; they maintain biodiversity of ecosystems they inhabit as keystone species. At least 1/3 tree species rely on elephants for seed distribution in central Africa forests.
Learn about elephants, the largest land mammals on earth, and their distinct characteristics, social behavior, and ecological role. Find out how WWF is working to protect elephants from poaching, habitat loss, and human-elephant conflict.
Learn about the two species of African elephants, their size, diet, behavior, and threats. See stunning images of these majestic animals and how they shape their habitat.
- 5 min
- There are three different species of elephant – the African Savannah elephant, the African Forest elephant and the Asian elephant. Elephants are known for their large ears, tusks made of ivory and their trunks.
- Elephants are the world’s largest land animal! Male African elephants can reach 3m tall and weigh between 4,000 -7,500kg. Asian elephants are slightly smaller, reaching 2.7m tall and weighing 3,000– 6,000kg.
- There’s an easy way to tell the African elephants apart from their Asian cousins – their ears! African elephants have large ears shaped like the continent of Africa!
- You can tell a lot about an elephant by looking at their tusks! Elephant tusks never stop growing, so enormous tusks can be a sign of an old elephant.
Learn more about the world's largest land mammals, including what they weigh, if they are dangerous and how good their memory is.
Learn about the African elephant's trunk, diet, life span, and social behavior. Watch videos of elephants playing, rescuing, and interacting with humans.
