African Elephants

Did you know that there are 3 different types of elephants and you can tell them apart by their
ears? One of the most famous elephants is the African elephant. In this essay, I will be talking about the
African elephant's description, habitat, and diet. African elephants are endangered due to poaching for
their tusks. Their tusks are actual teeth and their skin is very thick.

African elephants have very peculiar skin and characteristics. For example, they have brownish-
gray, skin, and sometimes they have dark brown or black hair. African elephants have wrinkled skin that is
also very tough and thick for protection. Their average height is 10 ft and their average mass is 13 lbs.
African elephants are the world's largest land animal and the 2nd tallest land animal behind the giraffe.
They have distinctly large bodies, large ears, and very long trunks and tusks right next to their trunks.
According to passage 2 “The largest animal on land is the African bush elephant, which can grow to 4.5
meters tall at the shoulder, six meters long, and weigh up to 6,000 kg. Passage 2 also says “These enormous
beasts are currently listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and one of Africa’s
endangered animals”. Those are some quotes that are passage 2. In passage 1 it says that “The trunk is
obvious, but the short neck is often overlooked as the reason for having the trunk”. And that “The neck is
short to support the very heavy head better”. This is a description of them.

African elephants are located in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa and rainforests of central and
west Africa. The sub-Saharan has inhabited many empires and kingdoms at or near savannas, grasslands,
or forests. African Elephants try to keep their ecosystem nice and healthy. They do this by breaking trees
and flattening grasslands leaving room for smaller species to live near them and they create water holes
for plants and trees to grow. In the savanna where they live It is usually around 60 to 75 degrees. Article 1
says “Scattered African elephant populations occur across sub-Saharan Africa.” Which means that they
lived all around sub-Saharan Africa. It also says “They prefer to be near water, but well-worn paths cross
some long distances from feeding areas to water-ways.” Article 1 also says that “Preferring the more brushy
Acacia woodland savannas, some frequent heavily forested areas and a few populations inhabit parts of the
Kalahari Desert.”

African elephants like to eat leaves and branches from trees and small bushes they find, but they
also like to eat grasses, fruit, and bark. African elephants don't eat meat which means they are herbivores
and only eat plants and fruits. They don't have prey but here are some of their predators: Lions, crocodiles,
wild dogs, hyenas, and other big cats will attack their young and sometimes them. If you ask google if
elephants eat meat it will probably say “A little-known fact: Elephants do eat meat. They feed at night
when no one can see them eating their favorite food — kangaroos.” as a joke I THINK. Also, passage 1 says
that wild African “Elephants are herbivores that primarily browse, taking fruit when available.” also it says
that zoo elephants eat “Oat grass, plus bamboo and tree browse, and various fruits and vegetables. That's
what passage one says about what they eat.

Now you know many things about African elephants including their description, habitat, and diet.
Also, did you know that some people say that elephants have great memories? Also, African Elephants live
for about 60 or 70 years in the wild. African elephants Grow hair all over their body and have long
eyelashes. They also have a nose, a hand, a foot, and a tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting,
and digging.

My sources : https://www.fresnochaffeezoo.org/species/african-elephant/ ,
https://safarisafricana.com/biggest-animals-in-the-world/ , and google

Picture of a beautiful elephant: https://safarisafricana.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/elephant-big-

five.jpg