It has long been known that the ivory of the African Forest Elephant is particularly hard, with a pinkish tinge and is more straight (whereas that of the African Bush Elephant is curved). It has, like the Asian elephant, four nails on the hind-feet and five nails on the front-feet (which is more nails than than the African bush elephant which has four front nails and three nails on the hind feet). Find out more!

African Forest elephants are found in lowland tropical and subtropical rainforests and woodlands of central western Africa. A male African Forest elephant touches a female to see if she is ready to mate.

An elephants gestation (pregnancy) period lasts about 22 months (630 – 660 days), the longest gestation period of any mammal, after which one calf is typically born. An orphaned calf will usually be adopted by one of the family lactating females or suckled by various females.

African Forest Elephants live in close social groups called ‘herds’. A herd is usually made up of related females and their offspring. The leader of the herd is called the ‘matriarch’ and she is usually the oldest and most experienced female elephant in the herd.

It has been discovered that elephants can communicate over long distances by sending and receiving low frequency sounds, a sub-sonic rumbling that can travel through the ground farther than sound travels in the air. This sound is felt by the sensitive skin of an elephants feet and trunk, which pick up the vibrations through the ground.