Image from BBC Earth News

Lurking in the African bush, you may see one—rarely two—roaming the thick central Congo rainforests of Africa in search of large fruits and vegetation. This often unnoticed giant of the towering treetops is none other than the elusive forest elephant.

Characterized as a completely separate species from the African elephant, the forest elephant is usually disguised by the dense forest surroundings it lives in. The only time to have a clear sighting of these giant mammals in nature is when they visit Dzanga Bai—a nearby natural oasis—that offers the forest elephants the minerals and nutrients they need to neutralize their stomachs from the acidity found in their diet. To reach the minerals through the muddied waters, the elephants must pump through the water using their trunks.

Because this excessively high concentration of mineral resources is only found in Dzanga Bai, there is a toll for getting your share. Each elephant that visits these mineral-rich waters must make their way into the crowd, battling off the other elephant junkies. Often times, elephants can be seen pushing others out of the way for their mineral fix.

Image from BBC Earth News

Forest Elephant Questions Answered:

• Why does the forest elephant roam the African rainforests solo? Scientists don’t know for sure, but observations predict that although forest elephants are often independent from others, they do know where their relatives are within the forest and have large networks. This observation was made when a mother and child elephant both arrived to Dzanga Bai from different areas of the forest and, once at the oasis, greeted each other with low frequency growls and by touching trunks. After extensive observation, scientists believe Dzanga Bai is the rendezvous point for elephant families.

• What features make the forest elephant a completely different species than the African elephant? In the past few years, scientists have recognized the forest elephant as a completely separate species from the African elephant—it’s not even considered a subspecies. The forest elephant is actually smaller than the African elephant, and not as tall. In fact, the two species differ greatly in regards to ear shape and social groups. The ears of the forest elephant are much rounder than those of the African elephant and the forest elephant has five toes on the front feet and four toes on the back feet—same as the Asian elephant. The forest elephant also lives in much smaller groups than the African elephant, making their socialization patterns and behavior different from each other.
  

  Image from www.elephant.se

• Are forest elephants targeted by poachers? Yes, even more than the African elephant. With a pinkish hue and thick density, the ivory of forest elephants is much more prized that that of the African elephant. They are often poached and hunted for their unique and rare pink ivory, which is so valuable, that the price of two tusks is around $90,000 on the black market.

• What does the forest elephant eat? Forest elephants can often detect the location of their food based on hearing and sight. One of their favorite meals is the giant and nutrient rich omphalocarpum fruit, which is nearly-rock-hard. When this mammoth of a fruit falls from the omphalocarpum tree, it makes a huge thud and echo through the forest. Once heard, the elephants go searching for this nearly-rock-hard fruit and have the unique ability to crack it into pieces using their thick tusks.

Are you looking to experience an African safari tour? Join Hills of Africa Travel for our Soul Safari Transformation webinar this Wednesday, March 17. For more information visit our Soul Safari Transformation webinar registration page.