
Perhaps one of the world’s most emotive and iconic animals, the African bush or savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living terrestrial mammal, with the largest recorded individual reaching a massive four meters at the shoulder and weighing an impressive ten tonnes. The African bush elephant’s brain is bigger than that of any other animal and its skull is exceptionally large, having evolved to support the trunk and the heavy teeth and jaws. The skull comprises up to 25 percent of the elephant’s total body weight. Elephants are unusual among mammals in that they continue to grow throughout their life, although the rate at which they grow slows after they reach sexual maturity. The hefty body of the African bush elephant is supported by stocky, pillar-like legs which have thick, heavy, vertically-aligned bones. The African bush elephant has four toes on the forefeet and three toes on the hind feet, unlike both the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), which each have five toes on the front feet and four toes on the hind feet. The feet are broad and the toes are embedded in a fatty substance which cushions the weight of the animal and enables it to move more quietly. The thick skin of the African bush elephant is generally dull brownish-grey, with a sparse scattering of black, bristly hairs. The skin is wrinkly and adapted for keeping the body cool, as the wrinkles increase the surface area of the skin, trapping moisture which then takes much longer to evaporate than if the skin was smooth. The end of the tail is flattened and has a tuft, of course, crooked hairs. characteristic outward-curving tusks of the African bush elephant are actually elongated upper incisors, which are formed from a unique composition of calcareous materials. Both the male and female African bush elephant have tusks and, like the rest of the body, the tusks continue to grow throughout the elephant’s life. The upper lip and nose of all elephant species are elongated and muscular, forming the distinctive trunk. The African bush elephant uses its trunk to form and amplify vocalizations, to feed from the ground and from trees and shrubs, to break off branches, and to pick leaves, shoots, and fruits. It is also used to aid drinking, greeting, touching and other social behaviors. The end of the trunk has two prehensile finger-like lips which are covered in fine, sensory hairs. The large, oversized ears of the African bush elephant are distinguished from other elephant species by the presence of overhanging flaps along the upper edges. As well as playing a role in communication, the ears are also important in temperature regulation and heat loss. A rich network of blood vessels is found immediately beneath the thin skin which covers the back of the ears, and when temperatures rise the ears are fanned to help increase the flow of air and cool the blood through evaporation. African bush elephants use sounds well below the range of human hearing to communicate over long distances. An elephant can eat 600 pounds (272 kilograms) of food a day. Unlike the Asian elephants, both sexes of this species have tusks and have a concave shaped back, and two fingered trunks.
Contents
African Bush Elephant Subspecies
- East African Bush Elephant
- South African Bush Elephant
- West African Bush Elephant
- Ethiopian Elephant
- North African Bush Elephant (†)
Roles
- It played Sulley in African Animals, Inc. and Herbivores, Inc..
- It played Vitruvius in The Animal Movie (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Elephant Abu in Aladdin (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Dim in A Wildlife's Life.
- It played Lord Rogers in The Artist Mare.
- It played Dallben in The Black Cauldron (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played General Hologram in Wreck-It Ralph (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Basil in The Great Elephant Detective.
- They played Kion, Simba, Nala and other lions in The Elephant King (NatureRules1 Style) and The Elephant Guard.
- They played Snow White and her Prince in Elephant White and the Seven Jungle Cats (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Doc in Africa VI: The Secret of Animal Rock.
- It played Stove in Beauty and the Wildebeest.
- It played Wooly Mammoth in North American Age series, Brother Lion (NatureRules1 Version), and Serengeti Age Series.
- It played Ankylosaurus in Speckles the Leopard.
- It played Rockmobile in Wildlife Story (NatureRules1 Version).
- They played Crush, Squirt and the Sea Turtles (along with African Forest Elephants and Asian Elephants) in Finding Nemo (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Archdeacon in The Hyena of Notre Dame (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Shifu in Kung Fu Kangaroo.
- They played Manny, Ellie, Peaches, Julian and other mammoths in Animal Age (NatureRules1 Version), African Animal Age, African Animal Age 2: The Meltdown, African Animal Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, African Animal Age: An Elephant Christmas, African Animal Age 4: Continental Drift, and African Animal Age 5: Collusion Course.
- It played Wreck-It Ralph in Wreck-It Ralph (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Zordon in Beastly Morphin Power Rangers.
- It played Hova, Zoc, Kreela, Fugax and the other ants in The African Bush Elephant Bully.
- They played Flik, Princess Atta, Dot, Queen, Dot's 2 Boyfriends, Mr. Soil, Dr. Flora, Thorny, Cornelius and the ants in An African Animal's Life (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Woog in We're Back! An African Animal's Story, We're Back! A Serengeti Animal's Story, and We're Back!: A Jungle Mammal's Story (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Bomb in The Angry Animals Movie (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Louis in The Doe and the Springhare.
- It played Western Moose in Alpha and Omega (Samwei1234 Version)
- It played Dennis in Stanley (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Calculator in African Animal Mayhem.
- They played Nelson and Nigel in 64 Zoo Lane (NatureRules1 Version).
- They played Shrek, Fiona, Brogan, Cookie, and Gretchen in Shrek (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Brachiosaurus in Walking With Species.
- It played Dumbo in Dumbo (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Brachiosaurus in Jurassic Park Series (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Jeffy in SuperMarioLogan (NatureRules1 Version).
- It played Hulk in The Avengers (2012) (NatureRules1 Version) and NatureRules1: Infinity War.
- It played Maui in Disgust (Moana) (NatureRules1 Style)
- It played Nigel Uno/Numbuh 1 in Codename: African Species Next Door and Codename: Elephants Next Door.
- It played Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Animals (NatureRules1 Style).
- It played Seal in We Bare Felids.
- It played Grizz in We Bare Pachyderms, We Bare Elephants, We Bare Herbivores, We Bare Pachyderms: The Movie, We Bare Elephants: The Movie, and We Bare Herbivores: The Movie.
- It played Abigail Lincoln/Numbuh 5 in Codename: Endangered Species Next Door.
- It played Nom Nom in We Bare African Animals and We Bare African Animals: The Movie.
- It played A in Alphanimals.
- It played Blossom in The Powerpuff Pachyderms, The Powerpuff Pachyderms Movie, and The Powerpuff Pachyderms (2016), The Powerpuff Elephants, The Powerpuff Elephants Movie, and The Powerpuff Elephants (2016).
- It played Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Animals (NatureRules1 Style), The Powerpuff Rhinoceroses, The Powerpuff Rhinoceroses Movie, and The Powerpuff Rhinoceroses (2016)
- It played Mojo Jojo in The Powerpuff Vultures, The Powerpuff Vultures Movie, and The Powerpuff Vultures (2016)
- It played Big Billy in The Powerpuff Insectivores and The Powerpuff Insectivores Movie
- It played Charlie in We Bare Hyenas and We Bare Hyenas: The Movie
- It played Gina Giant in Wallykazam! (NatureRules1 Version)
- It played Buttercup in The Powerpuff Herbivores, The Powerpuff Herbivores Movie, and The Powerpuff Herbivores (2016)
- It played Boomer in The Powerpuff Congo Animals
- It played Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Pachyderms
- It played Meatlug in How to Train Your Serengeti Animal, How to Train Your Serengeti Animal 2, and How to Train Your Serengeti Animal: The Hidden World
- It played Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant African Animals
- It played Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Insectivores
- They played Zac (Merman) and Evie McLearn (Mermaid) in Mako Mer-Animal Boys and Girls (NatureRules1 Style), Mako Herbivores, and Mako Pachyderms
- It played Willy, his parents, Luna, Little Spot, his family, Nikki, and Max in Free Willy (NatureRules1 Style), Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (NatureRules1 Style), and Free Willy 3: The Rescue (NatureRules1 Style)
- It played Cleo (Mermaid) in Mako Ungulates
- It played Rita Santos (Mermaid) in Mako African Animals
- It played Nixie (Mermaid) in Mako Serengeti Animals and Mako Endangered Species
- It played B.O.B. in Wild Animals vs. Dinosaurs