African male/bull elephant tusker Northern Akagera National Game Park Rwanda Central Africa
African male/bull elephant Loxodonta tusker Northern Akagera National Game Park Rwanda Central Africa bush elephant, is the largest living terrestrial animal, while the forest elephant is the third largest. The upper lip and nose form a trunk which acts as a fifth limb, a sound amplifier used for touch. Their large ears enable heat loss. Elephants have four molars; each weighs about 5 kg (11 lb) and measures about 30 cm (12 in) long. As the front pair wears down and drops out in pieces, the back pair shifts forward, and two new molars emerge in the back of the mouth. Elephants replace their teeth six times. At about 40 to 60 years of age, the elephant no longer has teeth and will likely die of starvation, a common cause of death. Females stand – m (7–9 ft) tall and weigh 2,160–3,232 kg (4,762–7,125 lb). Their tusks are firm teeth; the second set of incisors become the tusks. They are used for digging for roots and stripping the bark off trees for food, for fighting each other during mating season, and for defending themselves against predators. The tusks weigh from 23–45 kg (51–99 lb) and can be from – m (5–8 ft) long. Unlike Asian elephants, both male and female African elephants have tusks. They are curved forward and continue to grow throughout the elephant's lifetime. The largest recorded individual stood four metres ( ft) to the shoulders and weighed 10 tonnes (10 long tons; 11 short tons).
Size: 3648px × 2588px
Location: Northern Akagera National Game Park Rwanda Central Africa
Photo credit: © Roland Pargeter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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