# What Do African Elephants Eat?

> African elephants eat grass, browse, bark and fruit — often 150–300 kg a day as a planning range. Two African species. Never feed them.

- **Species:** African Elephant (*Loxodonta africana*)
- **Conservation status:** Endangered
- **Diet:** Herbivore
- **Habitat:** Savanna, forest, desert edge
- **Lifespan:** 60–70 years in the wild
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/elephant/what-do-elephant-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/elephant/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The African elephant is the largest living land animal, weighing up to 6,000 kg (13,200 lb) and standing up to 4 m (13 ft) at the shoulder. They are highly intelligent, deeply social, and use their trunks for breathing, drinking, grasping, and communication. Wild elephants can live 60 to 70 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Intelligence and social life

Elephants live in tight matriarchal herds led by the oldest, most experienced female. They show empathy, cooperation, problem-solving, and apparent grief, returning to and touching the bones of dead relatives. Their large brains support remarkable long-term memory.

## Help protect the African Elephant

Elephants are squeezed between shrinking habitat and the ivory trade, fuelling deadly conflict with people.

[Donate to elephant rescue](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/elephants/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/elephant/what-do-elephant-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.