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Internal Characteristics of African Elephants

African elephants are endangered animals that can mainly be found in savanna regions of east and central African reserves. Before becoming endangered, this animal could be found living in its natural habitat throughout Africa. The African elephant reaches up to 13 feet in height and weighs up to 13,000 pounds. Male African elephants are larger and heavier than their female counterparts.

Brain
- Although the African elephant's brain occupies a relatively small area of its large skull, its brain has the largest mass of all land-dwelling mammals. An adult African elephant's brain can weigh up to 12 pounds, although the brain of the smaller female elephant rarely exceeds more than 9.5 pounds. At birth, the African elephant's brain is around a third of its final, adult size. African elephants are intelligent animals and their ability to learn new skills increases as their brains increase in size.
Digestive System
- The amount of food that an African elephant consumes in a day weighs roughly the same as 5 percent of the animal's body weight. These animals may eat for up to 16 hours in one day. The total length of the African elephant's intestines is approximately 115 feet. Elephants eat a variety plant matter but their digestive system only digests around 44 percent of the food successfully. This relatively inefficient digestive system leads to the African elephant producing around 350 pounds of feces per day.
Circulatory System
- A male African elephant's heart can weigh as much as 61 pounds and has a double apex. This means that there are two points at the bottom of the organ instead of just one, as seen in a human heart. In a still, standing position, this large heart circulates blood around the elephant's body by beating between 25 and 30 times per minute. Within the African elephant's network of blood vessels, a single blood vessel can measure more than 10 feet in length. This means that the elephant has to maintain a constant level of high blood pressure to prevent them from collapsing. African elephants have a high concentration of blood vessels in their large ears. This means that the animal can cool the blood flowing around its body as it passes through its flapping ears.
Respiratory System
- African elephants control lung inflation through the use of muscles. Over a period of one minute, this elephant will only take between four and 10 breaths, depending on the level of activity. The greater the level of activity, the more breaths an African elephant will take per minute. The majority of air is inhaled through the elephant's trunk and the mouth inhales the remainder.

Animals & Science