4/10/2024 0 Comments Outline of elephant![]() One study found that forest elephants move seeds an average of more than three miles away from their parent trees, which allows these plants to colonize new areas in ways they wouldn’t be able to do on their own. ( Why some animals are more important to ecosystems than others.) In turn, the elephants’ dung helps fertilize the seeds they drop. As the animals move through the forest, they leave behind the seeds that pass through their digestive tract. However, the bulk of the forest elephant’s diet is made up of fruit. The animals also gather at watering holes and soil mounds that are rich in minerals not provided by the rest of their diet. They are considered to be rather elusive, which is surprising for an animal that can be as tall as a basketball hoop and weigh as much as an ambulance.Īs herbivores, forest elephants consume lots of plant matter, including leaves, grasses, seeds, and tree bark. Habitat and dietĪfrican forest elephants inhabit the dense tropical rainforests of west and central Africa. On the other hand, African savanna elephants form large herds that can range from around 10 individuals to groups of families numbering 70 individuals or more. ![]() African forest elephant herds tend to be much smaller, with only a few elephants in each unit. There are also behavioral differences between the species. Forest elephant ears are also more oval-shaped, as opposed to the triangular ears of savanna elephants. Males, or bulls, can have tusks that nearly scrape across the ground. ![]() ( Both African elephant species are now endangered, one critically.)Īfrican forest elephants are about half the size of their closest cousins, and their tusks are straighter and point downwards compared to the outward curving tusks of savanna elephants. However, a study published in 2010 found that each elephant belonged to its own species and that the lineages diverged between 2.5 and 5 million years ago, or about as long ago as humans split off from chimpanzees. ![]() Scientists used to think both animals were subspecies of a single African elephant. Of the two species of African elephants, forest elephants are both smaller and more rare than their cousins, African savanna elephants ( Loxodonta africana). Least Concern Extinct What is an African forest elephant? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |