AfricaEndangered
African elephant
Loxodonta africana
The biggest animal walking on land. Elephants live in family herds led by the oldest female, who remembers where to find water in dry years.
- Weight
- Up to 6,000 kg
- Size
- 3.3 m tall
- Lifespan
- 60–70 years
- Top speed
- 40 km/h
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Mammal group
- Placental
How heavy is that?
As heavy as 150 kids (40 kg each)
Where it lives
Three things to know
- Eats up to 150 kg of plants every day.
- Can feel rumbles from other elephants through its feet.
- Its trunk has no bones, but about 90,000 tiny muscle bundles.
Compare with…
- Weight
- African elephant6,000 kgA 10-year-old kid40 kgThe African elephant weighs about 150× as much as the kid
- Size
- African elephant3.3 mA 10-year-old kid1.4 mThe African elephant is about 2.4× as big as the kid
- Top speed
- African elephant40 km/hA 10-year-old kid20 km/hThe African elephant is about 2× as fast as the kid
- Lifespan
- African elephant70 yrsA 10-year-old kid80 yrsAbout the same
Food chain
- LeavesProducer
African elephantThis animal
Nothing hunts a healthy adult