What Do African Elephants Eat?

The elephant has captured the hearts of so many of us because of its gentle nature. Today, there are two different species of elephants – African elephants and Asian elephants. African elephants make up two different elephant species: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the smaller African forest elephant (L. cyclotis). Both of these elephant species are highly social and intelligent, making them extraordinarily fascinating to study.

To better understand them, let’s take a look at what African elephants eat and learn more about their feeding habits.

What Do African Elephants Eat?

African elephants eat a diet that consists of grass, leaves, bark, fruit, and a variety of foliage. They are classified as herbivores. Although they eat a variety of vegetation, their absolute favorite is tree bark. This is because tree bark provides significant nutritional value for them. It is rich in calcium and is an excellent source of dietary fiber which aids them with their digestion. African elephants will use their tusks to carve into the trunk and pull the bark from it to eat.

It has also been discovered that African elephants are seasonal eaters, and as a result, they tend to alter their diets based on the season. A study published in 2017 looking into the eating patterns of elephants in Africa found that these elephants consume large quantities of grass during the summer months. In winter, when these food types become scarce, elephants consume woody plant leaves and twigs as leaves fall, followed by bark and roots as these are shed. This gives us even more insight into the fascinating eating habits of African elephants!

A Complete List Of What African Elephants Eat

The eating habits of African elephants make them known as food browsers. In addition to leaves and roots, they find bark, twigs, and roots on many different trees during their browsing. As a result, African elephants will eat a large variety of vegetation around them. 

The following foods are part of their diet:

• Tree bark 
• Flowers
• Bushes 
• Leaves 
• Shrubs 
• Grasses
• Roots 
• Fruits such as figs and mangoes
• Twigs 

How Do African Elephants Forage For Food?

Due to their long and flexible trunks, elephants can grab food, making their trunks essential when they’re trying to eat. Small twigs and branches at any height can be broken off and brought to their mouths by wrapping their trunks around them.

Why Do Elephants Eat So Much?

It is important to emphasize that elephants are not small animals capable of surviving solely on one or two leaves per day. In order to maintain their huge bodies, elephants need a similar amount of food to sustain their immense size.

African elephants consume between 100 and 300 pounds of food daily. In addition, they can drink 25 – 50 gallons of water per day. As food browsers, they usually travel long distances. In order to survive, an animal that moves 9-19 miles with such a large body needs to eat enough food.

It should be noted that natural water is scarce in dry regions. A lot of water is consumed by elephants living in those areas to keep hydrated and retain enough water for future trips.

What Is the Environmental Impact of the African Elephant Diet?

Many people are unaware of the fact that an African elephant’s diet plays an important role in the health of the environment. African elephants are one of the largest land mammals on earth, and they play an important role in balancing the ecosystems of their home continent, Africa. By trampling through dense forests and grasslands in search of food, these grazers leave room for smaller wildlife to coexist with larger ones. 

As elephants dig dry riverbeds during periods of low rainfall, they also create water holes that can be used by other animals when there is low rainfall. The African elephant’s favorite foods include a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, as previously mentioned. Because they do not have a highly developed digestive system, they are only able to digest 40 percent of what they eat. During their travels over vast rangelands, herds disperse seeds in their dung. This then contributes greatly to the growth of new plants in the surrounding area.