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

African elephants face threats from poachers, with thousands of them illegally killed each year for their tusks.

From BBC

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

For African elephants, part of that answer lies in the two finger-like tips they have at the end of their trunks, which allow them to grab things.

From NewsForKids.net

Roughly 10 million African elephants roamed that continent at the turn of the 20th century, but only 400,000 are left in Africa today.

From Salon