The Forest Elephant
The forest elephant is smaller than the bush elephant of the African plains, and there is some dispute about whether or not it is a separate species. Forest elephants are sometimes called pygmy elephants due to their small stature, and experts like the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group believe that the species is smaller due to evolution via environmental conditions. Forest elephants eat bark, fruit and leaves, and they play a crucial role in maintaining the rainforest. They are considered to be the most prolific and therefore important spreader of seeds, their large piles of dung achieving wide seed dispersal. Since they travel long distances, so do the seeds they carry. Due to illegal poaching for ivory and bush meat, in 2010, they are close to extinction. Writing for the Treehugger website, Kimberley Mok states that "without forest elephants--who are currently facing unprecedented threats to their survival--the tropical forests will not be the same."