1. Class : Mammalia

2. Order : Proboscidea

3. Family : Elephantidea

4. Genus Species : Loxondonta Africana

5. Size : The African elephant males are 10 ft. in height from foot to shoulder. The
females are slightly smaller. They can get 25 ft. in length with a tail length of 3 - 4 ft.

6. Weight : On average, the male African male elephant weighs up to 6 tons meanwhile the female elephant weighs up to 4 tons.

7. Description : The African elephant has ears that are large and can reach a height of 5 ft. Their skin in grey and is loose and wrinkly with little hair on it. The trunk is used for breathing and ends in two lobes. It has very large feet that distribute this enormous weight over a large surface area. Think soles on the feet absorb shock and cushion legs when walking and running so well that it barely leaves any tracks in the dirt. Males have huge tusks, which are actually incisor teeth made of ivory that can measure up to 5 feet in length. The elephant uses these tusks to dig for food, clear debris and carry logs up to 1 ton in weight.

8. Life Span : 60 - 80 years

9. Reproduction : African elephants become sexually mature at 14 - 15 years of age. They will mate at any time of the year.

10. Gestation : 600 - 660 days

11. Habitat : African elephants prefer savannah, grasslands, where their food is most plentiful. They also live in thick forests with an abundant supply of food and a large amount of shade. Most parts of Africa and south of the Sahara Desert are also places where the African elephants are commonly found.

12. Diet : The African elephant is a herbivore that favors mostly grass, leaves, twigs, branches and barks.

13. Predators : The elephant has no natural enemies. Fully-grown elephants are so incredibly large they can crush most predators. As a result, lions, hyenas and tigers attack only the young elephants. Anyhow, the African elephant's main enemy is man. They are endangered due to poaching as their ivory tusks are very valuable in the black market. Hunting is banned, but because the laws are hard to enforce, the elephants are still legally killed.

14. Endangered Status : Endangered

15. Special Features : Elephants are very intelligent animals. They have shown very good problem solving skills. An elephant's large ears amplify sounds, letting it hear sounds that other animals cannot. Its sense of smell is thought to be superior to any other land animal. It also has a very good sense of touch. For such a large animal, the elephant is very deft, having the ability to balance on two legs if necessary to reach leaves in a tree. It also shows incredible balance when lifting large objects. It's sense of taste is much like that of other higher animals. It is able to tell the difference between food that tastes good and food that tastes bad, as well as food that tastes preferable.

16. Social Organization : African elephants have a matriarchal society, which means that the leader of the herd is an elder female. Male elephants are actually more solitary in nature and usually join a herd during mating season. The herd has a complex social structure. Members communicate with each other using a combination of gestures and sounds. For example, an elephant expresses anger by violently beating the ground with its trunk. Elephants have shown a strong sense of commitment to other members of the herd. They have been known to stop and wait on a young elephant if it falls behind.

17. Conservation Status : Many national parks or reserves in Africa have been established where the elephant habitat is protected. Many people believe however, that the parks are not large enough and are isolated from each other to allow elephant populations to recover. Some countries are developing refuges linked by corridors to allow seasonal migration and genetic exchange. Worldwide concern over the decline of the elephant led to a complete ban on ivory trade 1990. Elephants have been placed on Appendix I of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which means all trade in elephant parts is prohibited. Some governments have cracked down hard on poachers. In some countries, park rangers are told to shoot at poachers on sight.

18. Behaviors : Elephants have strong family ties. The females and young are social, living in groups under the leadership of an older female or matriarch. Adult males are solitary, although they stay in contact with the females over great distance, using sounds well below the range of human hearing. Family groups communicate with each other using these low-frequency vibrations.
Population Areas : Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.