African Bush Elephant
Loxodonta africana
🐘
Chordata
Mammalia
Proboscidea
Elephantidae
Loxodonta
Loxodonta africana
The African Giant — The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living land animal, a keystone species of the African savanna. Its immense size, intelligence, and complex social structures make it one of the most iconic mammals on Earth.
Description
African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) — This species inhabits the grasslands, woodlands, and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. Adult males can reach 4 meters at the shoulder and weigh up to 6,000 kg, while females average around 3 meters tall and 3,000 kg. Its trunk, composed of over 40,000 muscles, serves as a tool for feeding, drinking, and communication. With tusks made of ivory, elephants have long been targeted by humans for both cultural and material reasons. Despite their intelligence and long lifespans (up to 70 years), populations have suffered from habitat loss and poaching.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
4400
3.2
4.8
6.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Long before the era of organized ivory trade, early humans hunted elephants across Africa for meat, hides, and tusks. Archaeological evidence suggests that Late Pleistocene and Holocene hunter-gatherer societies employed cooperative drives—using fire, pits, and projectiles—to target herds, particularly vulnerable juveniles or old individuals.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya (ca. 400,000 years ago) — Acheulean handaxes found near elephant remains suggest early Homo erectus scavenging and butchery.
Lake Turkana Region, Kenya (ca. 1.5 million years ago) — Early evidence of elephant carcass processing by Homo ergaster.
Aduma, Ethiopia (ca. 80,000 years ago) — Middle Stone Age tools associated with elephant bones showing cut marks and marrow extraction.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Africa
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
8
Est. Renderable Fat
352
kg
Targeted Organs
Marrow, brain, visceral fat
Adipose Depots
Visceral (perirenal/mesenteric), limited subcutaneous; marrow, brain lipids
Preferred Cuts
Long-bone marrow & braincase
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
5