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Project Noah Nature School
Loxodonta africana
In honor of the first World Elephant Day on 12 August 2012. African bush elephants are the largest living terrestrial animals, being up to 3.96 m (13.0 ft) tall at the shoulders. The most characteristic features of African elephants are their very large ears, which they use to radiate excess heat, and their trunk, an extension of the upper lip and nose with two opposing extensions at its end, different to the Asian elephant which only has one. The trunk is used for communication and handling objects and food. African elephants also have bigger tusks, large modified incisors that grow throughout an elephant's lifetime. They occur in both males and females and are used in fights and for marking, feeding, and digging. The African bush elephant is herbivorous. Its diet varies according to its habitat.
Kruger National Park
Spotted on Jun 28, 2009
Submitted on Aug 12, 2012
1 Comment
Beautiful! Look at that eye!
In 1989 CITES (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species) issued an international ban on the ivory trade.
2011 saw the highest number of illegal ivory seizures recorded in the last 23 years