Asian Elephants - Types and Characteristics

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 13 February 2021
Update Date: 18 May 2024
Anonim
Asian elephant || Description, Characteristics and Facts!
Video: Asian elephant || Description, Characteristics and Facts!

Content

Do you know him Elephas Maximus, scientific name of the Asian elephant, the largest mammal on that continent? Its characteristics have always provoked attraction and fascination in humans, which had dire consequences for the species due to poaching. These animals belong to the order Proboscidea, family Elephantidae and genus Elephas.

As for the classification of subspecies, there are different opinions, however, some authors recognize the existence of three, which are: the Indian elephant, Sri Lankan elephant and Sumatran elephant. What differentiates each subspecies, basically, are the differences in skin color and the size of their bodies. If you want to know more about asian elephants - types and characteristics, continue reading this article by PeritoAnimal.


Where does the Asian elephant live?

O asian elephant is native to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

In the past, the species could be found in a vast territory, from western Asia, through the Iranian coast to India, also in Southeast Asia and China. However, it became extinct in many areas where it originally inhabited, concentrating on isolated populations in 13 states in the total area of ​​its original range. Some wild populations still exist on islands in India.

Its distribution is quite wide, so the Asian elephant is present in different types of habitat, mainly in tropical forests and vast grasslands. It can also be found at different altitudes, from sea level to 3000 meters above sea level.


The Asian elephant requires for its survival to constant presence of water in its habitat, which it uses not only for drinking, but also for bathing and relaxing.

Their distribution areas are quite large due to their ability to move, however, the areas they decide to inhabit will depend on the food availability and water on the one hand, and on the other hand, from the transformations that the ecosystem undergoes due to human transformations.

In this other article by PeritoAnimal we tell you how much an elephant weighs.

Asian Elephant Characteristics

Asian elephants are long-lived and can live between 60 and 70 years. these awesome animals can reach from 2 to 3.5 meters in height and over 6 meters long, although they tend to be smaller than the African elephant, weighing up to 6 tons.


They have a large head and both trunk and tail are long, however, their ears are smaller than those of their African relatives. As for prey, not all individuals of this species usually have them, especially females, which generally do not have them, while in males they are long and big.

Its skin is thick and quite dry, it has very little or no hair at all, and its color varies between gray and brown. As for the legs, the front legs have five toes shaped like hooves, while the hind legs have four toes.

Despite their large size and weight, they are very agile and confident when moving, as well as being excellent swimmers. A very characteristic feature of the Asian elephant is the presence of only a single lobe in its nose, located at the end of its trunk. Among African elephants, the trunk completion ends with two lobes. This structure is essential for food, drinking water, smelling, touching, making sounds, washing, lying on the floor and even fighting.

You asian elephants are social mammals who tend to stay in herds or clans, composed mainly of females, with the presence of an older matriarch and an older male, in addition to the offspring.

Another characteristic aspect of these animals is that they are used to travel long distances in order to find food and shelter, however, they tend to develop an affinity for areas that define their home.

Types of Asian Elephants

Asian elephants are classified into three subspecies:

Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)

The Indian elephant has the highest number of individuals of the three subspecies. It mainly inhabits various areas of India, although it can be found in small numbers outside this country.

It is dark gray to brown, with the presence of light or pink spots. Its weight and size are intermediate compared to the other two subspecies. It is a very sociable animal.

Sri Lankan Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus)

The Sri Lankan elephant is the largest of the Asian elephants, weighing up to 6 tons. It is gray or flesh colored with black or orange spots and almost all of them have no fangs.

It is distributed throughout the dry areas of the island of Sri Lanka. According to estimates, they do not exceed six thousand individuals.

Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus)

The Sumatran elephant is the smallest of the Asian group. It is deeply threatened with extinction and, if urgent action is not taken, this subspecies will likely become extinct in the coming years.

It has larger ears than its predecessors, plus a couple of extra ribs.

Borneo pygmy elephant, an Asian elephant?

In some cases, the Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is considered a fourth subspecies of the Asian elephant. However, several scientists reject this idea, including this animal within the subspecies Elephas maximus indicus or Elephas maximus sumatranus. Results of precise studies to define this difference are still awaited.

what Asian elephants eat

The Asian elephant is a large herbivorous mammal and requires large amounts of food each day. In fact, they usually spend more than 14 hours a day feeding, so they can eat up to 150 kg of food. Their diet consists of a wide variety of plants and some studies have shown that they are capable of consuming up to 80 different plant species, depending on habitat and time of year. Thus, they can eat a wide variety of foods:

  • Woody plants.
  • Grasses.
  • Roots.
  • Stems.
  • Shells.

In addition, Asian elephants play a key role in the distribution of plants in the ecosystems they inhabit, due to the fact that they easily disperse large amounts of seeds.

Asian elephant reproduction

Male Asian elephants generally reach sexual maturity between 10 and 15 years of age, while females reach sexual maturity earlier. In the wild, females usually give birth between 13 and 16 years of age. They have periods of 22 months' gestation and they have a single offspring, which can weigh up to 100 kilos, and they usually breastfeed until they are 5 years old, although at that age they can also consume plants.

Females can get pregnant at any time of the year, and they signal their willingness to males. You gestation intervals for the female they last between 4 and 5 years, however, in the presence of a high population density, this time can be increased.

Elephant offspring are quite vulnerable to attack by wild cats, however, the social role of this species is even clearer at these times, when mothers and grandmothers play a key role in the protection of newborns, especially grandmothers.

Reproductive Strategies of the Asian Elephant

Another behavioral characteristic of the Asian elephant is that adult males disperse the young males when they mature sexually, while remaining within the range defined as home, young males then tend to separate from the herd.

This strategy would have certain advantages to avoid reproduction between related individuals (inbreeding), which is very important for gene flow to occur. When a female is sexually mature, males approach the herd and compete for reproduction, although this depends not only on a male conquering the others, but also on the female accepting him.

Asian elephant conservation status

The Asian elephant is extinct in Pakistan, while in Vietnam there is an estimated population of around 100 individuals. In Sumatra and Myanmar, the Asian elephant is critically endangered.

For years, Asian elephants have been killed to get their ivory and skin for amulets. In addition, it is estimated that many elephants have been poisoned or electrocuted to death by humans in order to keep them away from human dwellings.

Currently, there are certain strategies that seek to halt the significant decline in Asian elephant populations, however, they do not seem to be sufficient due to the constant state of danger that still exists for these animals.

If you want to read more articles similar to Asian Elephants - Types and Characteristics, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.