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Range map of the African Elephants (Loxodonta) The genus consists of the wide-ranging Savanna Elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) and the Forest Elephant ( Loxodonta cyclotis ), which is restricted to moist tropical habitats.
range map of the African Elephant (Loxodonta): that includes the Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), and colonial borders. Date: 16 May 2007: Source: self-made, based on data from the African Elephant Status Report of w:IUCN (known range) Author: Bamse: Other versions: distribution map with labels
The African bush elephant is listed as Endangered and the African forest elephant as Critically Endangered on the respective IUCN Red Lists. [ 57 ] [ 58 ] Based on vegetation types that provide suitable habitat for African elephants, it was estimated that in the early 19th century a maximum of 26,913,000 African elephants might have been ...
There are currently around 415,000 African elephants in the world (African bush and African forest combined), but there are only approximately 40,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants left.
The African forest elephant was long considered to be a subspecies of the African elephant, together with the African bush elephant. Morphological and DNA analysis showed that they are two distinct species. [4] [5] The taxonomic status of the African pygmy elephant (Loxodonta pumilio) was uncertain for a long time.
African bush elephants' consumption of woody plants, particularly their habit of uprooting trees, has the ability to alter the local environment, transforming woodlands into grasslands. [47] African bush elephants also at times consume fruit and serve as seed dispersers. [48] Adults can consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of food per day. [49]
The skin is smoother than African elephants and may be depigmented on the trunk, ears or neck. Adult males average 4 tonnes (4.4 short tons) in weight, and females 2.7 t (3.0 short tons). It is one of only three living species of elephants or elephantids anywhere in the world, the others being the African bush elephant and African forest elephant.
The area was first designated a protected area in 1896 by the German Governor of Tanganyika Hermann von Wissmann, and became a hunting reserve in 1905.The reserve was named after Frederick Selous, a famous big game hunter and early conservationist, who died at Beho Beho in this territory in 1917 while fighting against the Germans during World War I.