Species Spotlight: African Elephant

African elephant stands to the right of the frame next to a large bush.

Questions and Answers

How many species of elephants are there?
There are three species of elephant—African Savanna, African Forest and Asian.

How do elephants sense warnings from other elephants?

Elephants hear warnings sent through the ground from other elephants and sense the time between signals to determine the direction of the vibration.

How many muscles are there in an elephant’s trunk?
An elephant trunk has up to 40,000 muscles. A human has more than 600 muscles in the entire body. Elephants use their trunks to help them suck up water for drinking, touch or pick up objects, trumpet warnings, and greet one another.

Habitat

Varied habitats in sub-Saharan Africa, including deserts, savannahs and forests
Diet

Vegetation such as leaves, roots, bark, grasses and fruit
Threats

Poaching for ivory; habitat loss
Interesting Fact

African elephants use their trunks for communication and handling objects and their large ears allow them to radiate excess heat.