The African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the world’s largest terrestrial mammal with bulls weighing up to 6,300 kg. They live for 60-70 years and the tusks of bulls grow throughout their lives sometimes approaching up to 100 kg each in weight.

Bull elephants spend much of their time alone, although they sometimes move together and meet at waterholes and mud baths and join breeding herds when cows are in breeding condition. Although they are active by day and night they usually seek shade during the hottest part of the day. This huge tusker was sheltering in the shade of an Appeleaf tree near the gate of Shingwedzi Camp in Kruger Park. The bark of the tree is smooth from being rubbed against by elephants.