The African forest elephant is one of the two living species of African elephant. It is native to humid tropical forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It is the smallest of the three living elephant species, reaching a shoulder height of 2.4 m. As with other African elephants, both sexes have straight, down-pointing tusks, which begin to grow once the animals reach 1–3 years old. The forest elephant lives in highly sociable family groups of up to 20 individuals. Since they forage primarily on leaves, seeds, fruit, and tree bark, they have often been referred to as the 'megagardener of the forest'; the species is one of many that contributes significantly to maintaining the composition, diversity and structure of the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolese rainforests. Seeds of various plants will go through the elephant's digestive tract and eventually pass through in the animal's droppings, thus helping to maintain the spread and biodiversity of the forests.
African forest elephant
A family of African forest elephants in the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve wetlands, Central African Republic
African forest elephants in a waterhole
Group of African forest elephants digging at a mineral lick
African elephants are members of the genus Loxodonta comprising two living elephant species, the African bush elephant and the smaller African forest elephant. Both are social herbivores with grey skin, but differ in the size and colour of their tusks and in the shape and size of their ears and skulls.
Image: African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) male (17289351322)
Image: Loxodontacyclotis
A female African bush elephant skeleton on display at the Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma City
A male African bush elephant skull on display at the Museum of Osteology