African Elephants—the biggest living mammals in the world

Almost everyone loves to see an elephant, and an experience of riding on the back of an elephant gives more pleasure. Children love them most and whenever they see an elephant passing though their street or in a zoo, they start clapping and jumping in joy. And, they are happier if there is a calf accompanying the elephant!

But, a few note that what is the variety of the elephant and what are the characteristics? Is there any difference among elephants? The answer is, of course, yes! There are different varieties of elephants. However, they are broadly classified into two, namely, African elephants and Asian elephants. In this article, we are discussing a few characteristics of the African Elephants.

African elephants are further divided into two distinct subspecies—the Savanna elephant or Loxodonta Africana Africana, and the Forest elephant or Loxodonta Africana Cyclotis. The Savanna Elephant is the largest elephant in the world—the weight is around 7,000 kg, and the height is up to four meters! The male Savanna Elephant is smaller as compared to a male. The average length of a male varies between 19 to 24 feet while the length of the tail is approximately four feet.

Another subspecies called the Forest Elephants have smaller ears than their cousins—the Savanna Elephant. The weight of these is approximately 4,500 kg and the height is up to three meters.

The range of their natural home may go up to five hundred miles. However, due to lack of natural habitat and increasing commercialization, these elephants become endangered species. And, there is now a need to carefully protect these gifts of God; because otherwise, the coming generations would not be able to enjoy this beautiful animal!