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African bush elephant

Loxodonta africana

Description:

The legendary red elephants of Tsavo East (National Park) are normal bush elephants with a thick layer of red mud/dust.

Habitat:

Semidry savannah

Notes:

The red color comes from the alternating bathing in the mud and subsequent dust bath with the iron oxide containing dust. This makes a thick protective layer against parasites.

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14 Comments

Benno Ibold
Benno Ibold 6 years ago

Thank you, Christine.

Christine Y.
Christine Y. 6 years ago

Fantastic spotting, congratulations Benno!

Benno Ibold
Benno Ibold 6 years ago

Thank you Jim.

Jim Nelson
Jim Nelson 6 years ago

Well done, Benno...great spotting!

Benno Ibold
Benno Ibold 6 years ago

Thank you, remkinloch.

remkinloch
remkinloch 6 years ago

Congratulations on SOTD. A beautiful series of photos. The images of the elephants really emphasise the redness especially against the stark black and white of the zebras.

Benno Ibold
Benno Ibold 6 years ago

Thank you Felix

Felix Fleck
Felix Fleck 6 years ago

Great spotting, Benno. Congrats!

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 6 years ago

Congrats Benno. Well deserved.

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 6 years ago

You're welcome Benno. All your latest contributions from Africa are of an amazing quality, with multiple shots showing animals really well in their habitat (the "h" in our acronym (Noah) actually stands for habitat!).

Benno Ibold
Benno Ibold 6 years ago

Feeling honored, Daniele, thank you.

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 6 years ago

Congratulations Benno, this fantastic series is our Spotting of the Day!

"Find out about the "red elephants" of Kenya's Tsavo East National Park in our Spotting of the Day! These African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) owe their color to red soil, which they roll in as a dirt bath. As home to Kenya’s largest elephant population, the Tsavo ecosystem is critical in elephant management and conservation. African elephants continue to be under pressure from poaching and other forms of threats. Here you can find out more about elephant census in Tsavo: https://buff.ly/2fNgLx3 "

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Benno Ibold
Benno Ibold 6 years ago

Thank you, Mark.

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 6 years ago

Great series and spotting Benno.

Benno Ibold
Spotted by
Benno Ibold

Taita-Taveta County, Kenya

Spotted on Sep 24, 2017
Submitted on Sep 24, 2017

Spotted for Mission

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