Photographer’s Note
Pygmys elephants in Sangha National Park (Central African Republic). They are smaller than their cousins from savannas; they adapted their shape to live in dense forests of central Africa.
The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) was until recently considered a subspecies of the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana); however, DNA testing has now shown that there are in fact three extant elephant species: the two African types (formerly considered to be separate populations of a single species, the African Elephant) and the South Asian species, known as the Indian or Asian Elephant. The North African elephant of Hannibal fame was a now-extinct fourth species or a subspecies of the Forest Elephant (Loxodonta (africana) pharaoensis); it disappeared around the 1st or 2nd century CE. The disputed Pygmy Elephants of the Congo basin, often assumed to be a separate species (Loxodonta pumilio) by cryptozoologists, are probably Forest Elephants whose diminutive size and/or early maturity is due to environmental conditions.
Differences include the African Forest Elephant's long, narrow mandible (the African Bush Elephant's is short and wide), its rounded ears (an African Bush Elephant's ears are more pointed), different tusks, and considerably smaller size. The Male African Forest Elephant rarely exceed 2.5 metres (8 feet) in height, while the African Bush Elephant is usually over 3 metres (just under 10 feet) and sometimes almost 4 metres (13 feet) tall.
Late in the 20th century, conservation workers established a DNA identification system to trace the origin of poached ivory. It had long been known that the ivory of the African Forest Elephant was particularly hard, with a pinkish tinge, and straight (whereas that of the African Bush Elephant is curved). The DNA tests, however, indicated that the two populations were much more different compared with previously appreciated—indeed, in its genetic makeup, the African Forest Elephant is almost two-thirds as distinct from the African Bush Elephant as the Asian Elephant is.
(Wikipedia)
xuaxo, superpau, imarinopulos, miszka trouve(nt) cette note utile
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goodwill
(4029) 2006-07-29 13:15
HI Alberto,
Wide angle photo of the African Elephants,woo........w.
Good shot and keep it up.
Regards,
Rajeev
sined
(4483) 2006-07-29 14:04
thanks Alberto to make us discover this forest elephant in his environment !
regards
Denis
Deepforest
(8813) 2006-07-29 19:30
Hi Alberto,
very interesting photo of these rare animals... Great shot.
Best regards,
Andrzej
Curioso
(9119) 2006-07-31 15:31
Really interesting. I even didn't know that such tiny elephant did exist.
nivas37
(662) 2006-08-14 15:58
Hi Alberto,
Good framing within this wide angle shot of the elephants. the animals just look so beautiful.
thanks for sharing this beauty.
Rgds / Nivas
gabrielpat
(6551) 2006-09-08 7:18
bonjour alberto,
je n'avais jamais entendu parlé de ces éléphants pygmés,un bon point pour ce site qui nous en apprend tous les jours ou presque..
je ne manquerai pas d'aller chercher davantage d'information sur ces animaux!
bien vu,un vrai "scoop" pour le sujet.
beau tableau.
xuaxo
(5779) 2006-10-06 14:28
Very interesting photo and note.
It's a pity there is not something in the picture to compare the size (only the trees can give an idea).
I didn't know about them.
F
superpau
(1460) 2006-12-05 17:46
Hola Alberto!
Hermosa foto de estos elefantes pigmeos! Tan chiquitos! pero tan bonitos!
Me gusta tu composición, los tres elefantes en linea... (me hacew acordar a una cancion!).
Muy bonito tambien los colores de la selva, una foto interesante de ver!
Saludos, Paula.
Photo Information
-
Copyright: Alberto Piubello (albertopiubello)
(2591) - Genre: Lieux
- Medium: Couleur
- Date Taken: 2004-11-27
- Categories: Nature
- Exposition: f/4.9
- More Photo Info: view
- Versions: version originale
- Thème(s): Elephants [view contributor(s)]
- Date Submitted: 2006-07-29 13:13
Discussions
- A Jgirl: thanks naomi (1)
by albertopiubello, last updated 06-11 15:23 - A xuaxo: Olà Francisco (1)
by albertopiubello, last updated 10-09 15:49 - A gabrielpat: Note sur les éléphants pygmés (1)
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by albertopiubello, last updated 07-31 18:04 - A Curioso: hi (1)
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