Kenya Big Super Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli by Name and Age
Get to learn about the great super elephant tuskers of Amboseli in Kenyas Amboseli National Park. Kenya’s big tuskers of Amboseli are among the most iconic giants of the great savannah of the African plains, reigning in the Amboseli – Tsavo Ecosystem. These corridors are managed and conserved by the Kenya Wildlife Service and the communities around them.
Kenya is known to have some of the most renowned elephant super tuskers over the years, making Kenya stand out as the best place to spot them. Botswana as well is known to have some super tuskers but due to the high elephant population, it’s a bit hard to spot them.
What is a Super Tusker Elephant?
A Super Tusker is a male bull elephant with tusks that weigh over 100lbs (45kgs) each. Tusks of that size are usually so long that they scrape along the ground when the elephant walks. Only bulls can be Super Tuskers, but there are female elephants with huge tusks that don’t quite reach 100 lbs. We call these Iconic Cows.
- Craig in Amboseli | Big Super Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli- Photo by Norman Watson Photography
Best of the Super Tusker Elephants of Amboseli by Name and Age
We list below Popular Elephant Bull Tuskers that have lived in Amboseli and even those that are still alive. See below a list of the most popular Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli:-
1. Big Tim
Popularly known as Big Tim, the elephant roamed the wilderness in Southern Kenya for 50 years before dying on Tuesday morning in the Mada area of Amboseli National Park in 2020. “The body is on the way National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi.
Born in January 1969, Big Tim was four years old when he first came to the attention of wildlife conservation organizations operating in Amboseli.
They watched as he grew and became independent, observed him as he reached maturity, and were proud to see him become one of Africa’s most famous elephants, thanks, in part, to his exceptional tusks, which weighed 160 and 134 lbs.
Tim was a magnificent bull elephant. One of Kenya’s last great tuskers. But it wasn’t just his tusks that set him apart from the herd. Amongst those who observed him, he was renowned for his calm and gentle nature and was popular with other elephants of all ages.
He was known to nurture friendships with younger males who were learning to be independent, and was a favorite choice of mate for females, fathering multiple calves over his lifetime.
- Tim the Elephant and Colleagues in Amboseli | Big Super Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli – Photo by @ianjohnsonwild
2. Satao
Born in the late 1960s in Tsavo, Satao caused great amazement to everyone who ever caught a glimpse of him; rangers, tourists but also poachers. Many believe that Satao had the understanding that his tusks were beyond the ordinary.
He had adjusted his behavior to keep his tusks out of sight, which was incredibly impressive and heartbreaking at the same time. Impressive, because this once again proved how very intelligent Elephants are, and sad because Satao was nonetheless poisoned by arrows that caused his death.
Satao was born in the 1960s and died in 2014 in Tsavo and lived between the Tsavo-Amboseli Corridors. Satao was killed by poachers in 2014 with what appears to have been poisoned arrows. His body, with his tusks still intact, was found by Kenya Wildlife Service rangers in Tsavo East National Park.
- Satao II in Tsavo East National Park | Big Super Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli – Photo by Dex Kotze
3. Craig
Craig is a super tusker and, at 50 years old, was born in 1972 in the Amboseli Ecosystem and is said to be the largest and oldest living elephant in the world. He is one of the most famous and most photographed elephants in Amboseli with the backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
The most famous living Super Tusker is a magnificent elephant called Craig, who lives in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. His tusks are reminiscent of a bygone era and he is a remarkable specimen and poster child of effective conservation in Africa.
- Tim the Elephant in Amboseli | Big Super Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli
4. Tolstoy
Tolstoy, born in 1971, son of Teresia, uncle of Tim, and a member of the famous T family, studied since the early 1970s by the Amboseli Elephant Trust. Tolstoy was one of the few elephants in Africa with thick tusks that grazed the ground.
One of Kenya’s much-loved elephant elders and ultimately a victim of human-wildlife conflict, Tolstoy was well known by conservationists for his calm nature. The spear wound that led to his death was the fourth spearing incident he suffered in as many years.
Tolstoy wandered far and wide across the Amboseli ecosystem, of which the National Park is only a very small part. The habitat inside the Park is mostly composed of grasslands and marshes but elephants need to include bushes and trees in their diet, which mostly occur outside the Park.
- Tolstoy Elephant in Amboseli | Big Super Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli
5. One Ton
The Magnificent One Ton reigns in the Chyulu region that’s along the Amboseli Tsavo Corridor and the larger Amboseli – Tsavo Ecosystem. He is one of the big super-tuskers Kenya has had over the years. He is a famously chill elephant and is enjoyed and photographed by safari enthusiasts who come to see him from around the world.
Tuskers are a rarity in Kenya as their massive ivory and impressive size have historically put them in the crosshairs of hunters and poachers. We’re privileged to enjoy regular visits from One Ton and other impressive bulls at Ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills (thankfully, tuskers here are safely guarded).
His calm demeanor belies a celebrity status as one of Africa’s dwindling “Super Tuskers,” and it’s hard not to be moved by an encounter with this special elephant. He is always monitored by Big Life Foundation rangers to know his whereabouts.
One Ton was born is not yet known, but we will update once we get his full age and date of birth.
- One Ton – One of Amboseli Tuskers | Big Super Elephant Tuskers of Amboseli – Photo by @JamesKirisia of Great Plains Conservation
