African elephant

American  

[af-ri-kuhn el-uh-fuhnt] / ˈæf rɪ kən ˈɛl ə fənt /

noun

1. an elephant of the genus Loxodonta, with two extant species, the larger African bush elephant and the African forest elephant, both found in sub-Saharan Africa and previously considered subspecies rather than genetically distinct: Compared to an Asian elephant, an African elephant is larger and has enormous ears, a rounder head, a trunk ending in two fingers rather than one, and conspicuous tusks occurring in both sexes.

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Etymology

Origin of African elephant

First recorded in 1600–20

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How does african-elephant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• African elephant vs. Asian elephant

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

African elephant

There is hope that once Osh, a male, arrives at the sanctuary, the 30-year-old pachyderm will reunite with Donna, the zoo’s last remaining female African elephant that was relocated there last year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2024

Germany is the EU's largest importer of African elephant trophies, and hunting trophies overall, according to a 2021 report by the Humane Society International.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2024

Yet as elderly elephants struggle with the wetter and warmer conditions in the GVL caused by climate change, their fall will impact the entire African elephant population, and with it the ecosystem of the GVL.

From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2024

Based on fossilized poop and gnawed bones, researchers know adults used their bone-crushing teeth to eat large plant-eating dinos the size of an African elephant, such as Triceratops and duck-billed dinosaurs.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 7, 2023

A little elephant not more than 3 feet high when adult is found fossil in the island of Malta; other species were a little larger than the living African elephant.

From More Science From an Easy Chair by Lankester, E. Ray (Edwin Ray), Sir