African Forest Elephant
Loxodonta cyclotis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderProboscidea (Proboscideans)
- FamilyElephantidae (Elephants)
- GenusLoxodonta (African Elephants)
- SpeciesLoxodonta cyclotis (African Forest Elephant)
The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is an elephant species native to humid tropical forests in West Africa and the Congo Basin. It was first described in 1900. With an average shoulder height of 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in), it is the smallest of the three extant elephant species. Both sexes have straight, down-pointing tusks, which begin to grow at the age of 1–3 years. The African forest elephant lives in highly sociable family groups of up to 20 individuals comprising adult cows, their daughters and sons. When young bulls reach sexual maturity, they separate from the family group and form loose bachelor groups for a short time, but usually stay alone. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a African Forest Elephant sighting in Kibale National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Kibale National Park
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | |
| 3 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 5 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a African Forest Elephant in Kibale National Park?
About 15% of wildlife watchers report a African Forest Elephant sighting in Kibale National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see African Forest Elephant in Kibale National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for African Forest Elephant in Kibale National Park in our monthly data.