African elephant Facts for Kids

Loxodonta africana · lox-oh-DON-tuh af-rih-KAH-nuh

The biggest land animal, with a trunk for smelling, drinking and hugging.

🏃 speed: not yet checked
⚖️ 6 tons5.4 tonnes1
📏 13 ft4 m1 tall
🎂 56 years56 years2
🍽️ plants
In danger (Endangered)

Elephants are the biggest animals on land. They use their long trunk like a hand and a nose. Elephants live in families.

An elephant's trunk is its nose and upper lip together, with no bones in it. It can pick up a single leaf or spray water over its back. Elephant families are led by the oldest female, who remembers where to find water.

African savanna elephants are the largest land animals alive. Flapping their huge ears helps them cool down. Elephants talk with deep rumbles, some so low that people can't hear them, which travel through the ground. Their tusks are long teeth, and people hunting for ivory are one reason elephants need protection.

How big is a African elephant?

🧒 our measuring child, 4 ft1.2 m🐘 African elephant, 13 ft4 m at the shoulder

African elephant in numbers

Length	no checked number yet
Height at the shoulder	13 ft4 m1males, up to; African elephants in general, as the guide says
Weight	6 tons5.4 tonnes1males, up to; African elephants in general
Top speed	no checked number yet
How long it lives	56 years56 years2median, in a well-studied wild population
What it eats	grass, leaves, bark, roots and fruit
Where it lives	the savannas and bush of Africa south of the Sahara
What kind	Mammals
Is it in danger?	In danger (Endangered)3

A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.

Wow!

An elephant's trunk has no bones at all.
Elephants flap their ears to cool down.
Their tusks are teeth that keep growing.

Compare the African elephant

Friends and neighbours

Three questions

What does the African elephant eat?

FishPlantsPlants and animals

The answer: Plants. It eats grass, leaves, bark, roots and fruit.

Where does the African elephant live?

SavannaRainforestSnow

The answer: Savanna. It lives in the savannas and bush of Africa south of the Sahara.

What kind of animal is the African elephant?

MammalAmphibianFish

The answer: Mammal. It's a mammal: hair or fur, and babies that drink milk.

Books about the African elephant, free at the library

Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the African elephant for free.

Where these numbers come from

Smithsonian Institution, "Africa's Elephant Kingdom" educator guide (PDF), checked 30 October 2026.
Federal Register (US Fish and Wildlife Service), checked 30 October 2026.
Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
Wikidata, African elephant (Q36557), checked 30 October 2026.