Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is the elephant species living in Asia. They are more easily tamed than larger African elephants. People have used them as working animals for hundreds of years. It is mostly found in parts of India and nearby countries.
| Asian elephant | |
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| Asian elephant | |
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| Species: | E. maximus
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| Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758
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| Asian Elephant range | |
Description
Asian elephants are different from African elephants. They are smaller, have smaller ears, short legs, a more rounded back, and a fourth toenail on each of their back feet. They have thick, dry skin with a small amount of stiff hair, and are grey to brown in colour. Male Asian elephants have small tusks and female Asian elephants have no tusks. Sometimes pink spots appear on the ears as a result of loss of pigment.
Asian elephants eat grass, hay, twigs, bark and fruits. It can live up to 60 to 80 years. It can weigh up to 5000kg and be up to 300cm tall. It takes up to 660 days or 22 months until the babies are born. [1]
Distribution
Asian elephants live across many parts of India and Sri Lanka. They also live as far east as Sumatra, Indonesia. These three areas have subspecies that are slightly different.
Habitat
Asian elephants are spread over areas with very different amounts of rain. They can survive in dry places where less than 40cm of rain falls per year and in wet areas where over 8 meters of rain falls in a year.
Asian Elephant Media
Old male elephant with long tusks. Elephas maximus indicus. Nagarhole Nat'l Park, Karnataka, India
Elephant with calf in Sumatra
Young adult male Asian elephant skeleton compared to a human
The nail-like structures on the toes of an Asian elephant
Depigmented skin on the forehead and ears of an Asian elephant
A bull elephant at Jim Corbett National Park
India has more than 50% of the wild Asian elephant population. Pictured are herds at Jim Corbett National Park
Asian elephants are megaherbivores, consuming large amount of plant matter. Pictured are grazing elephants from Kerala, India
Asian elephant cows and calves live in closely knit groups. Pictured is group of elephants in Thailand
Elephant stacking blocks to allow it to reach food
References
- ↑ Hannover Zoo: Asian Elephant[dead link], viewed 2012-12-06