Forest elephant

Forest elephant ^[1] ( lat. Loxodonta cyclotis ) is a species of mammal of the genus African elephants of the proboscis order. It was originally considered a subspecies of the savannah elephant , but was isolated. Its status as a separate species has long been called into question, but has been convincingly proven using DNA tests. However, both species can interbreed and produce hybrids.

Forest elephant
Forest Elephant in Nuabale Ndoki National Park , Republic of Congo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animals Type of: Chordate Grade: Mammals Squad: Proboscis Family: Elephant Gender: African elephants View: Forest elephant
Latin name
Loxodonta cyclotis ( Matschie , 1900 )
Area

International Red Book Vulnerable species IUCN 3.1 Vulnerable : 12392

Presumably, two species of the genus Loxodonta diverged at least 2.5 million years ago . According to paleogenetics, the African savannah and forest elephants separated about 5–2 million years ago. For the last 500 thousand years they lived in isolation from each other and did not interbreed ^{[2] [3]} .

Analysis of fossil DNA of a straight-tusk forest elephant ( Paleoloxodon antiquus ), living in Europe 120 thousand liters. n., showed that it is he who is the closest relative of the species Loxodonta cyclotis , and not the savannah ^[4] .

In the lists of the International Red Book, both species of African elephants appear under the general name Loxodonta africana . The isolation of the third species, the East African elephant, is in question.

The height of the forest elephant at the withers averages 2.40 m. Thus, it is significantly less than elephants living in the savannah . The forest elephant also has a thicker brown hair and rounded ears. As its name implies, the African forest elephant lives in the tropical forests of Africa and plays an important role in the distribution of seeds of many plants.