http://www.ck12.org Chapter 11. Understanding Biodiversity: Animals: Mammals
11.4 Loxodonta africana: African Elephant
Common Name
- African Elephant
- African Bush Elephant
- African Savanna Elephant
Description
The African Bush Elephant, scientifically classified asLoxodonta africana,is an organism under the Eukarya domain
and present in the animal kingdom. Its full biological classification is
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Proboscidea
- Family: Elephantidae
- Genus:Loxodonta
- Species:L. africana
Physically, the African Bush Elephant is the largest land living animal alive today, with the male weighing around
15,000 pounds and reaching a length of about 6 to 7.5 meters (about 20-25 feet), and a shoulder height of 3.3m (over
10.5 ft). Females are much smaller, reaching 5.4 to 6.9m (about 17.5 to over 22 ft) in length, and 2.7m (almost 9 ft)
in height at the shoulder, and weighing around 6,600 pounds.
Regarding its diet, the African Bush Elephant is a herbivore, consuming various types of plants. The average elephant
from this species consumes about 225 kilograms of food daily, and it actively washes down its food with nearly 200