African forest elephant

Common Name:

African forest elephant

Scientific Name:

Loxodonta cyclotis

Type:

Mammals

Diet:

Herbivore

Group Name:

Herd

Average Life Span In The Wild:

Up to 70 years

Size:

8 to 10 feet

Weight:

2 to 5 tons

IUCN Red List Status: ?

Critically endangered

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

Least Concern Extinct

What is an African forest elephant?

 Of the two species of African elephants, forest elephants are both smaller and more rare than their cousins, African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana).

Scientists used to think both animals were subspecies of a single African elephant. However, a study published in 2010 found that each elephant belonged to its own species and that the lineages diverged between 2.5 and 5 million years ago, or about as long ago as humans split off from chimpanzees. 

(Both African elephant species are now endangered, one critically.)

African forest elephants are about half the size of their closest cousins, and their tusks are straighter and point downwards compared to the outward curving tusks of savanna elephants. Males, or bulls, can have tusks that nearly scrape across the ground. Forest elephant ears are also more oval-shaped, as opposed to the triangular ears of savanna elephants.

There are also behavioral differences between the species. African forest elephant herds tend to be much smaller, with only a few elephants in each unit. On the other hand, African savanna elephants form large herds that can range from around 10 individuals to groups of families numbering 70 individuals or more.

Habitat and diet

African forest elephants inhabit the dense tropical rainforests of west and central Africa. They are considered to be rather elusive, which is surprising for an animal that can be as tall as a basketball hoop and weigh as much as an ambulance.

As herbivores, forest elephants consume lots of plant matter, including leaves, grasses, seeds, and tree bark. The animals also gather at watering holes and soil mounds that are rich in minerals not provided by the rest of their diet.

However, the bulk of the forest elephant’s diet is made up of fruit. As the animals move through the forest, they leave behind the seeds that pass through their digestive tract. In turn, the elephants’ dung helps fertilize the seeds they drop.

(Why some animals are more important to ecosystems than others.)

One study found that forest elephants move seeds an average of more than three miles away from their parent trees, which allows these plants to colonize new areas in ways they wouldn’t be able to do on their own.

This has led some scientists to dub African forest elephants as “mega-gardeners,” meaning they are crucial for the health and biodiversity of the forests they inhabit.

Reproduction

As large-bodied mammals, elephants do not become reproductively mature for many years. For instance, female forest elephants cannot reproduce until at least 10 to 12 years of age. Males take longer, usually not reproducing until the age of 25 or 30.

African forest elephants can mate year-round, but peak activity typically occurs during the wet season between October and May. Leading up to this period, male elephants experience a surge in testosterone levels—up to six times higher than normal. This state is known as musth, and it can last two to three months. During this time, male elephants become extremely aggressive and can be dangerous to people and other animals that get in their way.

(Just like us, African elephants mourn their dead.)

Being in musth has its benefits, though, as females are more likely to mate with males that are both 35 years old and in musth.

After mating, female elephants become pregnant and will remain so for nearly two years! At 22 months, elephant pregnancy is the longest gestation known for any animal.

As with savanna elephants, African forest elephants are very slow reproducers, raising new calves only every three to six years.

Conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the African forest elephant as critically endangered, and the general population is thought to be decreasing. This is the result of many factors, including the effects of war, climate change, and severe reduction of habitat due to development, agriculture, drilling, and mining. However, the number one threat to the African forest elephant remains poaching for ivory.

Overall, African forest elephant populations declined by 62 percent between 2002 and 2011. Combined with African savanna elephants, as few as 415,000 elephants remain on the continent—a stark figure, considering scientists estimate there were 26 million African forest elephants alone in the year 1800. A slower reproductive rate than savanna elephants also means forest elephants are more sensitive to and less able to bounce back from population declines.

The good news is that conservation measures—such as anti-poaching units and the establishment of protected areas—have shown great success in a few African forest elephant strongholds, such as Gabon and the Republic of the Congo, where populations have stabilized in recent years.

Even still, African forest elephants now inhabit just a quarter of their historic range.