Jon Atkinson - World and Wildlife Photographer

Contact: JPA123ab@hotmail.com

AFRICAN ELEPHANT

African elephants are the world's largest terrestrial animals. The trunk, an extension of the upper lip and nose, is used for communication and handling objects including food.

African elephants are bigger than Asian Elephants. Males stand 3.2–4.0 m (10–13 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh 4,700–6,048 kg (10,000–13,330 lb), while females stand 2.2–2.6 m (7.2–8.5 ft) tall and weigh 2,160–3,232 kg (4,800–7,130 lb)

Elephants have four molars; each weighs about 5 kg (11 lb) and measures about 30 cm (12 in) long. As the front pair wears down and drops out in pieces, the back pair shifts forward, and two new molars emerge in the back of the mouth. Elephants replace their teeth six times. At about 40 to 60 years of age, the elephant no longer has teeth and will likely die of starvation, a common cause of death.

Their tusks are teeth; the second set of incisors become the tusks. They are used for digging for roots and stripping the bark off trees for food, for fighting each other during mating season, and for defending themselves against predators. The tusks weigh from 23–45 kg (51–99 lb) and can be from 1.5–2.4 m (5–8 ft) long. Unlike Asian elephants, both male and female African elephants have tusks

African elephants can eat up to 450 kilograms of vegetation per day though their digestive system is not very efficient and only 40% of this food is properly digested.

(Text courtesy of Wikipedia)

Elephant 1: Elephants at dusk, Kruger N.P., South Africa..

Elephant 2: Elephants, Kruger N.P., South Africa.

Elephant 3: Elephant, Kruger N.P., South Africa.

Elephant 4: Elephants, Kruger N.P., South Africa

Elephant 5:Elephants, Etosha National Park, Namibia.

Elephant 6: Elephant, Amboseli N.P., Kenya.

Elephant 7: Elephant, Kruger N.P., South Africa.

Elephant 8: Elephants with Mount Kilimanjaro in the Background..

Elephant 9: Elephant, Kruger N.P., South Africa.

Elephant 10: Elephants, Kruger N.P., South Africa.

Elephant 11: Elephant, Amboseli N.P., Kenya.

Elephant 12: Elephant, Massai Mara, Kenya.

Elephant 13: Elephants, Massai Mara, Kenya.

Elephant 14: Elephant, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.

Elephant 15: Elephant, Kruger N.P., South Africa.

Elephant 16: Elephants, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

Elephant 17: Elephants, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

Elephant 18: Elephant, Kruger N.P., South Africa.

Elephant 19: Elephant, Amboseli N.P., Kenya.

Elephant 20: Elephant, Amboseli N.P., Kenya.

Elephant 21: Elephant, Amboseli N.P., Kenya.