African Elephant

African Elephant

Distribution

Africa

Diet

Herbivore

Habitat

Savannah, Forests

Latin Name

Loxodonta africana

IUCN conservation status

Weighing up to 6 tons, they're the largest land mammals in the world.

A Powerful Trunk Acting as a Hand to Grasp Food

Strict vegetarians, elephants eat plants, foliage, bark, fruit, roots and tubers. They spend most of their day, an average of 14 hours, feeding. They eat between 100 and 300 kg of food every day and drink about 200 litres of water.

A Unique Communication System in the Animal Kingdom

Elephants are characterized by their complex social organization, where communication between individuals is paramount. In addition to acting as a radiator, the large ears are also used to express surprise or anger, among other things. Elephants also communicate with a range of sounds, from infrasound to trumpeting.

Family Groups led by the Matriarch

Related females and their young live in groups of 10 to 25 individuals, guided by the matriarch, the oldest female. She knows the best feeding sites and the location of watering holes. Adult males keep their distance, except during the breeding season.

Hunted for Their Ivory Tusks

While in 1950 their population was numbered at more than 2.5 million, there are now about 400,000 of them left. They're mainly hunted for their ivory, which sells at a high price on the black market. Habitat loss and conflicts with humans, whose crops they sometimes destroy, are also threats to their survival.

Featured animal

Tutume

Date of birth

April 9, 1999

Weight

8978.2 lb / 4 081 kg

Profile

Born in the Berlin Zoo in Germany, Tutume arrived at the Zoo de Granby in 2013 by plane! He's the first male elephant to have become a resident of the Zoo.

Fun fact

When Tutume arrived, he already knew several commands in English, but with a German accent! So our technicians needed to upgrade our giant's training!

Featured animal

Thandi

Date of birth

July 1, 1990

Weight

7 594.4 lb / 3 452 kg

Profile

Thandi arrived at the Zoo de Granby in 2019 from the Pittsburgh Zoo. To recognize her, just look at the tails of our elephants; Thandi's is much longer!

Fun fact

Thandi is rather easygoing with the animal care technicians, but she can be very temperamental with other animals and is not easily imposed upon!

Featured animal

Sarah

Date of birth

September 29, 1983

Weight

7821 lb / 3 555 kg

Profile

Originally from the Jardin des Merveilles in Montréal, Sarah came to the Zoo de Granby in 1988, making her one of our senior residents! She lives with our two other African elephants.

Fun fact

During regular showers and brushing sessions, Sarah often leans on our technicians. Perhaps to let them know that she appreciates being pampered so much!

Other animals from Africa