Wildlife
Forest elephants were thought to be a subspecies of the African elephant, but recent research has discovered that they are a separate species. Forest elephants have straighter tusks and more rounded ears than African savannah elephants. They also have five toes on the forefeet and four toes on the hindfeet, as Asian elephants do.
Forest elephants are to be found in the equatorial forests of central and west Africa where they are important dispersers of fruit seeds during the wet season. There are some forest fruit trees that are dependent on forest elephants as the seeds germinate after they have been digested and passed through.
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The village of elephants
Dzanga bai means village of elephants and the forest elephants meet here to get salts.
Dzanga bai means village of elephants and the forest elephants meet here to get precious salts.
Battling elephant bulls
Male forest elephants battle for mating rights in Dzanga bai.
Male forest elephants battle for mating rights in Dzanga bai.
Bull school
When the bulls arrive, young males learn their place in elephant society.
When the bulls arrive, young males learn their place in elephant society.
Food maps
Forest elephants have become masters of opportunity.
Forest elephants have become masters of opportunity.
Natural remedies
Forest elephants visit Dzanga Bai for a much-needed mineral fix.
Forest elephants visit Dzanga Bai for a much-needed mineral fix.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Forest elephant can be found in a number of locations including: Africa. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Forest elephant distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
The African forest elephant is a forest-dwelling elephant of the Congo Basin. Traditionally considered to be either a synonym or a subspecies of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), a 2010 paper supports it being a distinct species (Loxodonta cyclotis). This would make it the smallest of the three extant species of elephant, but also the third-largest living terrestrial animal.
The disputed pygmy elephants of the Congo Basin, often assumed to be a separate species (Loxodonta pumilio) by cryptozoologists, are probably forest elephants whose diminutive size and/or early maturity is due to environmental conditions. Adult "pygmy elephants" have reportedly weighed as little as 900 kg (1,980 lb).
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Learning
Co-operative breeding
Hierarchical
Tactile sense
Acoustic communication
Herbivorous
Maternal care
Nomadic
Polygynous
Active at birth
Social
Seed dispersal
Chemical communication
Sexual dimorphism
Tool use
Visual communication
Viviparous