Mallory Clark: Life's a Zoo. . Nashville Zoo African Elephant Part 1

Mallory Clark is at Nashville with her favorite animals. Here she is talking about the wonderful the Africa Elephant!! The Elephants of the genus Loxodonta, known collectively as African elephants, are currently found in 37 countries in Africa.

African elephants are distinguished from Asian elephants in several ways, the most noticeable being their much larger ears. Also, the African elephant is typically larger than the Asian elephant and has a concave back. In Asian elephants, only males have tusks, but both males and females of African elephants have tusks and are usually less hairy than their Asian cousins.

This reclassification has implications for conservation. If there are two separate species, each will be less abundant (particularly the rarer) and could be more endangered than a more numerous and wide-ranging single species. There is also a potential danger that if the forest elephant is not explicitly listed as an endangered species, poachers and smugglers might be able to evade the law forbidding trade in endangered animals and their products.

The forest elephant and the savanna elephant can also hybridize (interbreed), though their preferences for different terrains reduce such opportunities. As the African elephant has only recently been recognized to comprise two separate species, groups of captive elephants have not been comprehensively classified and some could well be hybrids.

Under the new two species classification, Loxodonta africana refers specifically to the savanna elephant, the largest of all elephants. It is the largest land animal, with males standing 10 ft to 13 ft at the shoulder and weighing 7,700 lb up to a reported 26,000 lbs. The female is smaller, standing about 9.8 ft at the shoulder. Most often, savanna elephants are found in open grasslands, marshes, and lakeshores.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Mallory Clark
• Life's a Zoo
• Nashville Zoo
• African Elephants