Asian and African Elephants : The basics

THE ASIAN ELEPHANT

(Asian Elephant, Toby Sinclair, http://www.arkive.org)

Here are some of the things you should know.

Scientific Name: Elephas maximus⁴

Taxonomy⁴:

• Kingdom– ANIMALIA
• Phylum– CHORDATA
• Class– MAMMALIA
• Order– PROBOSCIDEA
• Family– ELEPHANTIDAE

Subspecies: E.m maximus, E.m. indicus and E.m. sumatrunus⁴

Range:  The Asian elephant is found in 13 countries ranging from South East Asia to India⁴. Its distribution can be found in the image below⁴.

Retrieved from http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=7140.

The countries include: Bangladesh,Bhutan,Cambodia,China,India,Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatera),Lao People’s Democratic Republic,Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah),Myanmar,Nepal,Sri Lanka,Thailand,Vietnam ⁴.

The population of Asian elephants have been decreasing for sometime, especially in the South East Asian region⁴.  The IUCN has listed the Asian elephant as endangered⁴. This is in part due habitat loss and poaching⁴. There are conservation efforts in place in these regions ⁴.

Natural Habitat

Due to their wide range and generalist nature, the Asian elephant habitat varies greatly. The habitats that Asian Elephants can inhabit are grasslands, tropical evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist and dry deciduous forests and dry thorn forests⁴. They can also be found in cultivated lands, acting as pests to humans¹⁵.

Life History

Asian Elephant herd. ( Asian Elephant, Jagdeep Raput, http://www.arkive.org)

The gestational period of elephants is on average 21 months ¹⁶, with calves weighing on average 106 kg ¹³. Calves are typically born into a family of close relatives. The calf will be nutritionally dependent on its mother for the first 3 years of life as it grows and develops foraging skills¹⁶.  The herd also plays an important role in social and physical development along with providing protection to the calf ¹⁶.  Elephant families consist of an adult female known as ‘the matriarch’, daughters of all ages and sons of pre-pubescent age¹⁴ . Males reach sexual maturity at 10-15 years and females attain sexual maturity at 10-14 years ¹⁷. Females usually give birth at 15 to 16 years of age⁴. They will produce a calf every 4-5 years¹⁷. Asian elephants have a considerably long lifespan, living 60-70 year⁴ .There is considerable regional variation in height and weight but adult females weigh 2000-3500 kg with a height of 195-240 cm while adult males weigh 3500-6000 kg with a height of 240-300 cm¹⁷.

THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT

You may be surprised to find that the elephants inhabiting the African continent are of a different species. Not only do they have a different range, but they are considered the largest terrestrial mammal ( even bigger than the Asian elephant).  Find out more below!

(African Elephant, Ron Tear, http://www.arkive.org)

Subspecies⁸: Loxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis

Range⁸: African elephants can be found in 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa with a fragmented distribution.

 

Range of African Elephant. Retrieved from : http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12392/0

Ivory poaching and hunting for meat have contributed greatly in the decline of species population⁸. Although the population has been declining in some areas, overall the total population is increasing in contrast to its Asian counterparts⁸.

Natural Habitat

Similar to the Asian elephant, due to its diverse and wide range the African elephant occupies a variety of habitats such as dense forests, savannahs, grasslands, arid deserts⁸. They can be found at high or low altitudes and in temperate or tropical climates⁸.

Life History 

African elephants have a similar life history to Asian elephants acting as herd animals with significant dependence on their mothers in their youth. Puberty is generally reached from 8-13 years of age and the first calf is born no earlier than the age of 12². Adult females will calve every 2-2.5 years¹². Females weigh on average 2,800 kg ( up to 6000 kg) and males weigh 5,000 on average (up to 8000kg)³.