African savanna elephant facts

Last updated 8 October 2026

The African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living land animal. Adult males average about 3 to 3.2 m at the shoulder and can weigh around 6,800 kg. It lives across eastern, central and southern Africa in habitats from grassland and woodland to desert, and the IUCN has listed it as Endangered since 2021 after a decline of at least 60% over 50 years.

At a glance

Scientific name: Loxodonta africana
IUCN status: Endangered (assessed 2021)
Size: males about 3 to 3.2 m at the shoulder and up to about 6,800 kg; females about 2.4 m and up to about 3,600 kg
Range: eastern, central and southern Africa
Diet: grasses, sedges, leaves, shrubs, bark, roots and fruit (grazer and browser)
Gestation: about 22 months, usually a single calf

How the three species compare

Feature	African savanna	African forest	Asian
Ears	Very large, Africa shaped	Large, oval or rounded	Smaller, rounded
Tusks	Both sexes; curve outward	Both sexes; straighter, point down	Usually males only; females have tushes
Back	Dips in the middle	Dips in the middle	Domed or level
Trunk tip	Two "fingers"	Two "fingers"	One "finger"
Range	Eastern, central and southern Africa	Central and West African rainforest	13 countries in South and Southeast Asia
IUCN status	Endangered	Critically Endangered	Endangered

Full comparison with size, habitat, diet and population

How to recognize a savanna elephant

Savanna elephants have the largest ears of any elephant, often said to resemble the outline of the African continent. Both males and females normally grow tusks, which tend to curve outward. The back dips between the shoulders and hips, the skin is deeply wrinkled, and the tip of the trunk has two finger like projections. Compared with the African forest elephant, the savanna elephant is taller, has more triangular ears and tusks that flare outward rather than pointing down. Our species comparison table sets these features side by side.

Size and growth

This is the heaviest land animal alive today. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance gives average shoulder heights of about 2.4 m for adult females and 3 to 3.2 m for adult males, with females weighing up to around 3,600 kg and males up to around 6,800 kg. The largest elephant on record was a male savanna elephant about 3.96 m tall at the shoulder and about 10,886 kg. Unlike most mammals, elephants keep growing for much of their lives, so the biggest bulls tend to be the oldest.

A newborn calf weighs roughly 50 to 120 kg and stands about 1 m tall. Calves gain around 1 to 1.3 kg a day in their first year and usually stop nursing at two to three years old.

Habitat and range

Savanna elephants are habitat generalists. They live in open grassland, woodland and bushland, river flood plains, montane and lowland forest, and even the deserts of Namibia and Mali, as long as they can reach water. The IUCN notes that savanna elephants prefer open country and rarely overlap with forest elephants. The largest single subpopulation is in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area of southern Africa, and Botswana holds the largest national population. Read more on the habitats and diet page.

What savanna elephants eat

An adult eats roughly 75 to 150 kg of plant food a day, about 4 to 6% of its body weight, and spends around 16 hours a day feeding, according to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Savanna elephants are mixed feeders: they graze on grasses and sedges, especially in the wet season, and browse on leaves, twigs, bark, roots and fruit, especially in the dry season. They drink a lot of water when they can, and dig in dry riverbeds with feet, trunk and tusks to reach water below the surface.

Family life

Females and their young live in tight family groups led by a matriarch, usually the oldest female. Research in Kenya's Amboseli National Park found that families led by older matriarchs were better at telling the calls of familiar and unfamiliar elephants apart and reacting appropriately, which suggests that the matriarch's experience helps the whole group (McComb and colleagues, 2001). Young males leave the family as they reach adolescence and join loose groups of other males or live alone. Adult bulls periodically enter musth, a state of raised testosterone and aggression. The behavior page covers family life, musth and communication in detail.

Why savanna elephants matter

By pushing over trees, stripping bark and trampling shrubs, savanna elephants help keep open grassland from turning into dense woodland. Their dung spreads seeds, and the water holes they dig are used by many other animals. These effects are why ecologists often call elephants "ecosystem engineers." The same feeding habits can damage trees in fenced reserves where elephant numbers are high, which is one reason elephant management is debated.

Status and threats

Until 2021 the IUCN assessed African elephants as a single species classed as Vulnerable. In its first separate assessment, it listed the savanna elephant as Endangered, finding a decline of at least 60% over the last 50 years, driven by poaching for ivory (which surged after 2008 and peaked in 2011) and by conversion of habitat to farmland and other uses. The picture varies widely: the IUCN stresses that some subpopulations, especially in the Kavango Zambezi area, have been stable or growing for decades. See elephant conservation for the threats and what helps.

Frequently asked questions

How big is an African savanna elephant?

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance gives average shoulder heights of about 2.4 m for females and 3 to 3.2 m for males. Females weigh up to about 3,600 kg and males can reach about 6,800 kg. The largest on record, a male, was about 3.96 m tall and weighed about 10,886 kg.

Where do African savanna elephants live?

In eastern, central and southern Africa, in savannas, grasslands, woodlands, flood plains, forests and some deserts. The IUCN reports that the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which spans parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, holds the largest subpopulation.

How long do African savanna elephants live?

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance gives a median life expectancy of 38 to 47 years for elephants, and the Smithsonian's National Zoo notes that data suggest African elephants rarely live past 50, although some individuals live longer.

Is the African savanna elephant endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List has classed it as Endangered since March 2021. Some subpopulations, such as those in the Kavango Zambezi area, have been stable or growing for decades, while others have fallen sharply because of poaching and habitat loss.