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

Compare meaning

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

• African elephant vs. Asian elephant

Example Sentences

A rodent-borne virus led to the death of the only African elephant at the zoo in India's capital Delhi, officials have told the BBC.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

In 2024, the Oakland Zoo decided to send Osh, its last remaining African elephant, to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2025

Charley, an aging African elephant, had outlived other elephants at a South Africa zoo.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 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