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Loxodonta Cyclotis

Profile

NAME

FOREST ELEPHANT

SIZE

up to 2,86 m

SPEED

up to 39 km/h

WEIGHT

up to 4 tons

LIFE SPAN

60-70 years

DIET

Plants, fruits, roots

ENEMIES

Leopards, homo sapiens

NAME LATIN

Loxodonta Cyclotis

HABITAT

Africa

ORDER

Trunk animals

FAMILY

Elephants

LIVING SPACE

Rainforest

FEATURES

Trunk, tusks, small ears

POPULATION

95.400 - 414.000

Test your elephant knowledge

Click arrow below to see the solution. Click sideways for more questions.

Do elephants see at night?
Do elephants see at night?


Elephants are also an arhythmic species, which means they can see just as well in low light as they can in daylight. They are able to do this because the retina in their eyes adapts almost as quickly as the light.
When do elephants make love?
When do elephants make love?


Forest elephants like it better in the dark. The elephants are much more sexually active at night than during the day, which scientists had not expected.
Are forest elephants bigger?
Are forest elephants bigger?


No. Forest elephants are mini-elephants. The tusks of forest elephants are less curved and more straight. When compared to those of African and Indian elephants, forest elephant tusks look like toothpicks. The ears are rather round to oval - how cute!
Can elephants hear with feet?
Can elephants hear with feet?


Elephants' feet are sensitive and can detect vibrations in the ground, be it thunder or elephant calls, from up to 10 miles away.
Are forest elephants a separate species?
Are forest elephants a separate species?


Yes. Both elephant species live in Africa and are closely related. But the forest elephant is not the "little brother" of the big African elephant. It is a separate species that separated from the African elephant 3-5 million years ago.
What do forest elephants like to eat most?
What do forest elephants like to eat most?


Elephants like fruits. Elephants observed in Lopé National Park eat at least 72 different fruits. How many fruits do you eat? To supplement their diet with minerals, forest elephants congregate at mineral-rich water holes and mineral licks.
Why is the forest elephant important?
Why is the forest elephant important?


Forest elephants eat not only leaves but also seeds, which are passed through elephant guts and germinate faster. The African forest elephant is one of the most effective seed dispersers in the tropics and is also known as the "mega gardener of the forest" because of its significant role in maintaining plant diversity.
Why is elephant dung important?
Why is elephant dung important?


Dung piles collected from a lowland rainforest in northern Republic of Congo contained seeds from at least 96 plant species, with at least 30 intact seeds and up to 1102 large seeds in a single pile. Based on analysis of 855 dung piles, it was estimated that African forest elephants disperse a daily average of 346 large seeds per 1 km2 of at least 73 tree species. They transport about one-third of the large seeds over more than 5 km.
When was the forest elephant discovered?
When was the forest elephant discovered?


Loxodonta cyclotis was the scientific name proposed by Paul Matschie in 1900 when he described the skulls of a female and a male specimen collected from the Sanaga River in southern Cameroon.
Can elephants hear with feet?
Can elephants hear with feet?


Elephants' feet are sensitive and can detect vibrations in the ground, be it thunder or elephant calls, from up to 10 miles away.
Are forest elephants a separate species?
Are forest elephants a separate species?


Yes. Both elephant species live in Africa and are closely related. But the forest elephant is not the "little brother" of the big African elephant. It is a separate species that separated from the African elephant 3-5 million years ago.
What do forest elephants like to eat most?
What do forest elephants like to eat most?


Elephants like fruits. Elephants observed in Lopé National Park eat at least 72 different fruits. How many fruits do you eat? To supplement their diet with minerals, forest elephants congregate at mineral-rich water holes and mineral licks.
Do elephants see at night?
Do elephants see at night?


Elephants are also an arhythmic species, which means they can see just as well in low light as they can in daylight. They are able to do this because the retina in their eyes adapts almost as quickly as the light.
When do elephants make love?
When do elephants make love?


Forest elephants like it better in the dark. The elephants are much more sexually active at night than during the day, which scientists had not expected.
Are forest elephants bigger?
Are forest elephants bigger?


No. Forest elephants are mini-elephants. The tusks of forest elephants are less curved and more straight. When compared to those of African and Indian elephants, forest elephant tusks look like toothpicks. The ears are rather round to oval - how cute!
Why is the forest elephant important?
Why is the forest elephant important?


Forest elephants eat not only leaves but also seeds, which are passed through elephant guts and germinate faster. The African forest elephant is one of the most effective seed dispersers in the tropics and is also known as the "mega gardener of the forest" because of its significant role in maintaining plant diversity.
Why is elephant dung important?
Why is elephant dung important?


Dung piles collected from a lowland rainforest in northern Republic of Congo contained seeds from at least 96 plant species, with at least 30 intact seeds and up to 1102 large seeds in a single pile. Based on analysis of 855 dung piles, it was estimated that African forest elephants disperse a daily average of 346 large seeds per 1 km2 of at least 73 tree species. They transport about one-third of the large seeds over more than 5 km.
When was the forest elephant discovered?
When was the forest elephant discovered?


Loxodonta cyclotis was the scientific name proposed by Paul Matschie in 1900 when he described the skulls of a female and a male specimen collected from the Sanaga River in southern Cameroon.
Why is the forest elephant important?
Why is the forest elephant important?


Forest elephants eat not only leaves but also seeds, which are passed through elephant guts and germinate faster. The African forest elephant is one of the most effective seed dispersers in the tropics and is also known as the "mega gardener of the forest" because of its significant role in maintaining plant diversity.
Why is elephant dung important?
Why is elephant dung important?


Dung piles collected from a lowland rainforest in northern Republic of Congo contained seeds from at least 96 plant species, with at least 30 intact seeds and up to 1102 large seeds in a single pile. Based on analysis of 855 dung piles, it was estimated that African forest elephants disperse a daily average of 346 large seeds per 1 km2 of at least 73 tree species. They transport about one-third of the large seeds over more than 5 km.
When was the forest elephant discovered?
When was the forest elephant discovered?


Loxodonta cyclotis was the scientific name proposed by Paul Matschie in 1900 when he described the skulls of a female and a male specimen collected from the Sanaga River in southern Cameroon.
Do elephants see at night?
Do elephants see at night?


Elephants are also an arhythmic species, which means they can see just as well in low light as they can in daylight. They are able to do this because the retina in their eyes adapts almost as quickly as the light.
When do elephants make love?
When do elephants make love?


Forest elephants like it better in the dark. The elephants are much more sexually active at night than during the day, which scientists had not expected.
Are forest elephants bigger?
Are forest elephants bigger?


No. Forest elephants are mini-elephants. The tusks of forest elephants are less curved and more straight. When compared to those of African and Indian elephants, forest elephant tusks look like toothpicks. The ears are rather round to oval - how cute!
Can elephants hear with feet?
Can elephants hear with feet?


Elephants' feet are sensitive and can detect vibrations in the ground, be it thunder or elephant calls, from up to 10 miles away.
Are forest elephants a separate species?
Are forest elephants a separate species?


Yes. Both elephant species live in Africa and are closely related. But the forest elephant is not the "little brother" of the big African elephant. It is a separate species that separated from the African elephant 3-5 million years ago.
What do forest elephants like to eat most?
What do forest elephants like to eat most?


Elephants like fruits. Elephants observed in Lopé National Park eat at least 72 different fruits. How many fruits do you eat? To supplement their diet with minerals, forest elephants congregate at mineral-rich water holes and mineral licks.

What kind of elephant is that?

1.

FEATURES


What distinguishes the elephant?
The forest elephant is the mini version of the African elephant. It eats a vegetarian diet and its tusks point downward ...

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2.

DISTRIBUTION


Where are forest elephants found?
This elephant is found in only a few countries in Africa. But the population has declined.

We have created a map ...

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3.

THREATS


What threatens the forest elephant?
Habitat loss due to deforestation, collection of forest fruits, settlement construction, agriculture, poaching, bushmeat trade ...

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How do we save the forest elephant?

1.

WHERE


Where do we protect?
TWC focuses on the population of forest elephants at Takamanda National Park and Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctury. Takamanda is a true biodiversity ...

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2.

OUR PLAN


How do you save a species?
It is crucial to know where the forest elephants are located. Due to the political situation in Cameroon, many parks no longer have up-to-date data ...

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3.

HOW


What is a holistic approach?
We have developed a concept of how all our projects add up to more than the sum of their parts. That way, we can do more with less ...

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Where do we protect the Forest Elephant?

rainforest

TWC focuses on the population of forest elephants at Takamanda National Park and Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctury. Takamanda is a true biodiversity hotspot. In addition to the elephant there are primates, reptiles such as the swamp crocodile and the jointed turtle are among hundreds of different species, and the many rare bird species arouse the interest of the IBA as an Important Bird Area. Today they live in the middle of a combat zone between the military and freedom fighters. Every day there are now battles in their 676 km² protected area, the gunfire frightens and drives away the sensitive animals.

Banyang-Mbo covers an area of about 650 km². The greatest difficulty of this nature reserve is to reconcile the traditional lifestyles of the indigenous population with the interests of species conservation.

The wildlife of our planet is in danger. Join us in protecting gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants. Find out what your donation does on the ground!

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