Animal of the month: African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
The African elephant is enormous and unmistakable. Its nose and upper lip is elongated into a fantastically muscular and mobile trunk. Most adults have two large tusks, which are very large modified incisor teeth. The large, flat ears are coincidently roughly the shape of the African continent and act as radiators cooling the elephant on hot days. They have a gestation period of 22 months. Historically, elephants roamed a wide range of habitats. Today, however, their habitats are severely constrained by human encroachment. None the less, their populations are very secure and the number of elephants on the African continent is constantly on the increase. Elephant populations in fenced areas increase on average by 6,7% per year. These animals move surprisingly silently for their size. The sight of an elephant noiselessly moving through the early morning mist can be described as nothing more than ghostly.