The Desert Elephant

Although the desert elephant is not much different from other savannah elephants Namibia's desert-dwelling elephants are special nonetheless. They live in the Kunene Region, encompassing mostly sandy desert, rocky mountains and arid gravel plains in Namibia's northwest. They have adapted to their dry, semi-desert environment by having a smaller body mass with proportionally longer legs and seemingly larger feet than other elephants. Their physical attributes allow them to cross miles of sand dunes to reach water. They are of high national and international conservation priority, and have been designated as top priority for protection by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) - Skeleton Coast, Namibia