African elephant

[ af-ri-kuhn el-uh-fuhnt ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of African elephant¹

First recorded in 1600–20

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

After 20 years living in the Oakland Zoo, the park’s last remaining African elephant, Osh, will be relocated to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee later this year, the zoo announced in a press release.

From Los Angeles Times

The decision to move Osh was made after consultation with the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums’ African Elephant Taxon Advisory Group, the zoo said.

From Los Angeles Times

The 2016 African Elephant Database survey estimated a total of 410,000 elephants remaining in Africa, a decrease of approximately 90,000 elephants from the previous 2013 report.

From Science Daily