SCIENTISTS at the University of York believe they have identified a new species of African elephant.

Contrary to the popular belief of many scientists and members of the public, the new research confirms that Africa has two – not one – species of elephant.

Scientists from Harvard University, the University of Illinois and the University of York used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephant and the smaller African forest elephant have been distinct species for several million years.

The researchers intended to investigate the genetic relationship between the extinct woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants.

Professor Michi Hofreiter, who specialises in the study of ancient DNA in the department of biology at York, said: “The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephant and woolly mammoths. The split between African savanna and forest elephants is almost as old as the split between humans and chimpanzees. This result amazed us all.

“The possibility that the two might be separate species was first raised in 2001, but this is the most compelling scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.”

Previously, many naturalists believed that savanna elephants and forest elephants were two populations of the same species, despite the elephants’ significant size differences.