AnimalsThe African bush elephant is the largest land animal alive. It has very large ears, shaped a little like the map of Africa, which help it lose heat. Both males and females grow tusks. Herds are led by an old female, the matriarch.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Loxodonta africana
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Herbivore (eats plants)
- Lives in
- Africa south of the Sahara
- Habitat
- Savanna, grassland and woodland
- A young one is called
- calf
- A group is called
- herd
- Conservation status
- Endangered
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Proboscidea
- Family Elephantidae
- Genus Loxodonta
- Species Loxodonta africana
Other members of the family Elephantidae on this site: Asian elephant.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The African bush elephant is listed as Endangered. The species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.