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

Example Sentences

Without stronger controls, campaigners warn, hippos may share the fate of elephants, which have become endangered - or critically endangered in the case of the African forest elephant - because so many were killed by poachers for their tusks.

From BBC

The African forest elephant is critically endangered, and the African savanna elephant is endangered.

From Washington Times

The African forest elephant is critically endangered, and the African savanna elephant is endangered.

From Seattle Times

The African Forest elephant isn’t even assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or recognised by wildlife trade legislation.

From The Guardian

But the net effect of lumping the two together is to significantly underestimate the vulnerability of the African forest elephant.

From Nature