African Savanna Elephant Matriarch

Description

This up close image shows a female African elephant who is the leader of her herd. Usually being the largest and oldest, she oversees her multi-generational herd that includes other females and their young. In 2021 the IUCN listed the African savanna elephant as Endangered, after its numbers fell by at least 60 percent over 50 years. Experiments with wild African elephants found that the oldest female's skill at recognizing other elephants' calls can shape what the whole group knows.