African forest elephant

or for·est el·e·phant

[ af-ri-kuhn fawr-ist el-uh-fuhnt, for-ist ]

noun

1. the smaller of the two African elephant species ( Loxodonta cyclotis ), found in small groups in the forested areas of the Congo Basin: compared to the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant has straighter, more downward-pointing tusks and smaller, more rounded ears: having been confirmed as a distinct species in 2010, the African forest elephant has a conservation status of not evaluated.

Word History and Origins

Origin of African forest elephant¹

First recorded in 1925–30