These African Bush Elephant were photographed on an Aves North West Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure in the new Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa on May 1^st 2012.

Elephants

Elephants are the largest living land animals on Earth. Three living species of elephant are recognized, the African Bush Elephant - Loxodonta africana africana, African Forest Elephant - Loxodonta africana, and the Asian Elephant - Elephas maximus.

African Bush Elephant - Loxodonta africana africana

The African Elephant has a straight back, enormous ears, long trunk, four toes on the front feet and three on the back and both sexes have tusks. They are larger in size as compared to male and female Asian elephants.

Some interesting elephant facts:-

1. They live for 50 to 70 years or more, the oldest recorded elephant lived for 82 years.
2. The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal.
3. The largest elephant ever recorded weighed about 10,900 kg (24,000 lb), with a shoulder height of 3.96 metres (13.0 ft).
4. As much as 80 percent of what elephants consume is returned to the soil as barely digested highly fertile manure.

Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a tour for you or book on one of the following Aves Birding Tour/Safaris/Adventures see these magnificent animals: -

Aves Arid Birding Tour/Safari/Adventure

Aves Eastern Cape Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.

Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves KZN Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves North East Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves North West Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves Western Cape Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.

Aves West Coast Birding Tour / Safari /Adventure.