The African elephant is the largest and heaviest land animal on earth, being up to 3.96 m (13.0 ft.) tall at the shoulder and 10.4 tones (22,930 lb.) in weight (a male shot in 1974, near Mucusso, southern Angola. On average, males are (10.5 ft.) tall at the shoulder and 6 tones (13,230 lb.) in weight, while females are much smaller at (8.5 ft.) tall at the shoulder and 3 tones (6,610 lb.) in weight. The most characteristic features of African elephants are their very large ears, which they use to radiate excess heat, and their trunk, a nose and an extension of the upper lip with two opposing extensions, or "fingers" at the end of it (in contrast to the Asian elephant, which only has one). The trunk is used for communication and handling objects and food. African elephants also have bigger tusks, large modified incisors that grow throughout an elephant's life. They occur in both males and females and are used in fights and for marking, feeding, and digging.
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Although World of Wildlife Artistry Prefers Elephant Reproduction Taxidermy
Here is a small article on Hunting of this huge Animal if you prefer A skin Elephant Mount
| The African elephant is the world's largest land mammal. He stands more than eleven feet at the shoulder and can weigh in at over seven tons. His dark grey skin provides excellent camouflage in the dense brush of the bushveld. He moves through the bush with amazing speed for his size and can be extremely quiet. While his eyesight is relatively poor, his hearing is very good and his sense of smell is without equal. Over his lifetime, he receives 6 sets of molars, which move forward in his jaw as previous sets wear down. His last set of teeth comes in at about 47 years of age and once these wear out he can only look forward to slow starvation. Thus, depending on his diet, his lifespan is somewhere between 50 and 70 years.
He is a destructive feeder, preferring grass and, rather than adapting to his habitat, he adapts his habitat to suit his purpose. He can consume up to 500 pounds of grass and browse every day. The elephant is a very social animal found in herds made up of cows, calves, and adolescents. Bulls are usually found on their own or in small bachelor herds and only occasionally with a herd of cows. Tuskless cows and cows with calves by their sides can be extremely aggressive. You hunt this animal with your legs; the stalk can be quite long and cover many miles.
While the .375 is the legal minimum caliber, there will be no room for error in your shot placement if it is your weapon of choice. Hunt this 'big fellow' with the largest rifle you can shoot well. 40 and even 50 caliber rifles with 400 to 500 grain solid bullets would definitely be a good choice. A fifty-yard shot might be considered a long shot on the elephant, as most are taken at between 20 and 30 yards. Contrary to the opinion of some, the elephant is not endangered and in fact several countries of Southern Africa have been forced to institute culling operations to keep their numbers in balance.
A real charge is often silent with the ears pinned against their head. Hunters are killed by elephant every year. Trophy size is assessed by the weight of the tusks. Ivory size is genetically determined and varies throughout Africa, some places produce long thin ivory while other locations produce short and thick ivory. Estimating the exact weight of ivory is difficult due the unknown size of the hollow nerve running inside the tusk. Elephant hunting is regulated by the country. CITIES regulated the import and export of elephant trophies. Tanzania and Botswana host the best elephant hunting available to American Clients. Elephant hunts are a minimum of 10 days up to 25 days. Here is a link Importing Your Leopard or Elephant Trophy . |
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African Elephant Conservation Status
