Description

In 2023, the fourth issue of the colour series “Sustainable World – Endangered Animals” has been released. It is dedicated to the African elephant. A special feature: just like the previous coin of this series, the elephant, too, is highlighted by phosphorescent colours making the motif glow in the dark.

African elephants (Loxodonta) are a genus comprising two living elephant species, the African bush elephant (L. africana) and the smaller African forest elephant (L. cyclotis). Both are social herbivores with grey skin, but differ in the size and colour of their tusks and in the shape and size of their ears and skulls.

Both species are considered at heavy risk of extinction on the IUCN Red List; as of 2021, the bush elephant is considered endangered and the forest elephant is considered critically endangered. They are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and poaching for the illegal ivory trade is a threat in several range countries as well.

Artist: Silvia Petrassi