African Forest Elephant

The African forest elephant is a forest-dwelling elephant of the Congo Basin. Traditionally considered to be either a synonym or a subspecies of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), a 2010 paper supports it being a distinct species (Loxodonta cyclotis). This would make it the smallest of the three extant species of elephant, but also the third-largest living terrestrial animal.

African Bush Elephant

The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African forest elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African elephant, but recent evidence has seen the forest elephant classified as a distinct species. Some authorities still consider the currently available evidence as insufficient for splitting African elephants into two species.