ASIAN ELEPHANTS: CHARACTERISTICS, NUMBERS, NATURAL DEATHS

ASIAN ELEPHANTS

Asian elephant

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) live in a variety of habitats in tropical areas, including tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, grasslands, and scrub forests. They live at elevations from sea level to 3,000 meters (9843 feet). Elephants that are found near the Himalayas sometimes move up higher than this range in hot weather.[Source: Nikitha Karkala, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Historically, Asian elephants had a range of 9 million square kilometers — across a large part of Asia — from modern-day Iraq in the west, as far north as the Yangtze River in China, and across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including the islands of Sri Lanka and Sumatra in Indonesia. A recently designated species of elephant lives on Borneo. The current geographic range of Asian elephants is 500,000 square kilometers, which is only about five percent of the historical range. This range consists of mainly of small discontinuous areas in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A few elephants remain in Yunnan, a southern province in China.

Sometimes dozens of individuals make up an Asian elephant group, which spends their time together in forests seek fooding and communicate with one another, sometimes through infrasound, which can not be heard by humans but can travel tens of kilometers.

Elephants are the largest land animals and they have no natural enemies except human beings. After being trained, elephants can cut woods, transport goods, and drag carts; they can also be ridden by man or give performances. In ancient times, elephants were also trained to fight in battles. Asian elephants have a gestation period of 600-640 days and they produce one baby each time. Elephants are sexually mature at the age of 8-12 and their average life span are 50-65 years. When raised by human beings, some elephants were recorded to live more than 80 years.[Source: Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences, kepu.net]

Websites and Resources: Save the Elephants savetheelephants.org; International Elephant Foundation elephantconservation.org; Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; BBC Earth bbcearth.com; A-Z-Animals.com a-z-animals.com; Live Science Animals livescience.com; Animal Info animalinfo.org ; World Wildlife Fund (WWF) worldwildlife.org the world’s largest independent conservation body; National Geographic National Geographic ; Endangered Animals (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) iucnredlist.org

Books:” The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Elephants” by S.K. Elfringham (Smithmark Publishers, 1997), “Elephants" Majestic Creatures of the Wild “edited by Jeheskei Shosani (Rodale Press, 1992); “Silent Thunder: In the Presence of Elephants” by Katy Payner (Simon & Schuster, 1998).

Sources: Douglas Chadwick, National Geographic, May 1991 [←]; Katharine Payne, National Geographic, August 1989; Oria Douglas-Hamilton, National Geographic, November 1980; Eric Dinerstein, Smithsonian, September 1988;

Asian Elephant Subspecies

Three subspecies of Asian elephant are recognized: 1) the Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus), native to Sri Lanka; 2) the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus), native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia; and 3) The Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Indian elephants are the most widespread of the three subspecies. India is the home to over 60 percent of Indian elephants, making it the largest population of this subspecies to reside here. Amomg the other countries where they can be found are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. The total population of the Indian elephant in the wild is estimated to be nearly 40,000.

Sri Lankan elephants are largest and darkest subspecies. They have relatively large ears, a prominent head and have patches of pink or orange on their ears and face. They are different from the other subspecies because 90 to 95 percent of males lack tusks. The back of an Indian elephant is more rounded, with the crown of the head being the highest point of the body. Sumatran elephant are distinguishable by their its relatively larger ears, extra pair of ribs, and having the least depigmentation on its skin. There are varying views regarding which groups should be considered different subspecies. Based on DNA analyses, Sri Lankan elephants and Indian elephants may be part of the same group.

The population of Asian elephants in Borneo, known as Borneo pygmy elephants, may be a distinct subspecies or species. Asian elephants in Borneo are smaller than other Asian elephants and have larger ears and a more rounded body. They are very gentle creatures and known for not being aggressive around people. About 1,000 to 2,500 elephants live on Borneo. They are largely regarded as a distinct species, from Asian elephants. Near all so them are in the far northern part of the island in Sabah. It was long thought that these elephants were descendants of domesticated elephants that had escaped or been set free in the forest. But DNA indicates that are genetically different from other Asian elephants and had been on Borneo at least since the last Ice Age.

The WWF wildlife group estimates that fewer than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants exist. They grow to about eight feet (245 centimeters) tall, a foot or two shorter than mainland Asian elephants. Known for their babyish faces, large ears and long tails, pygmy elephants were found to be a distinct subspecies only in 2003, after DNA testing. Their numbers have stabilized in recent years amid conservation efforts to protect their jungle habitats from being torn down for plantations and development projects.

Asian Elephant Range and Numbers

range of Asian elephants; in historical times (pink); early 21st century (red)

Estimates of Asian elephant numbers vary considerably. According to National Geographic, there may be as many as 50,000 wild Asian elephants left, including 30,000 in India, According to the last elephant census in 2017, India has close to 30,000 wild elephants — around 60 percent of all wild Asian elephants. In the 2010s, the WWF estimated that there were only between 34,000 and 51,000 Asian elephants worldwide, including 12,000 to 16,000 animals that have either been domesticated in Asia or are in zoos around the world. By contrast, there are an estimated 550,000 elephants in Africa in 2023.

Wild Asian elephants are found in the forests and jungles of India, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia and southeast Asia. Estimated wild elephant populations (1997): 1) India, 20,000-30,750; 2) Myanmar, 5,000 to 6,000; 3) Indonesia, 2,500 to 4,000 in Sumatra and a small number in Kalimantan; 4) Malaysia, 1,000 on the peninsula and 500 to 1,500 on Borneo; 5) Laos, 2,000 to 3,000; 6) Sri Lanka, 2,500 to 3,000; 7) Thailand, 1,300 to 2,000; 8) Cambodia, 1,000 to 2,000; 9) Vietnam, 500 to 1,500; 10) Nepal, 500 to 1,500; 11) Bangladesh, 200 to 350; 12) China, 150 to 300; and 13) Bhutan, 60 to 150. The biggest unknown as far as Asian elephants are concerned is Burma where estimates range from 3,000-10,000 animals.←

Domesticated elephant populations (1997): 1) Myanmar (5,000); 2) Thailand (4,000); 3) India (3,000); 4) Laos; 5) Sri Lanka; 6) Cambodia; 7) Vietnam; 8) Nepal.

The total number of elephants in Africa is now estimated to be around 415,000. [Source: Christina Larson, Associated Press, February 15, 2022]

There are about 500,000 elephants worldwide. In 1930 is the believed there were between five million to ten million elephants. After their numbers have steadily declined. In the late 1980s and early 1990s their numbers were than halved, primarily due to ivory poaching. To make surveys of elephant populations scientist fly back and forth over an area and count all the elephants they see. They then extrapolate this data to come up with a number for the whole area.∈

Asian Elephant Characteristics

Asian elephants are the largest terrestrial organisms after African elephants. Considered a megafauna species, they range in weight from 2000 to 6000 kilograms (4405 to 13215 pounds). And range in length from 5.5 to 6.4 meters (18 to 21 feet). Their average basal metabolic rate is 2336.5 watts.

Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males are larger than females. Ornamentation is different. Males have a height of 2.4 to three meters with weigh 3,500 to 6,000 kilograms. Females are 1.95 to 2,4 meters in height with a weight of 2,000 to 3,500 kilograms. Males have tusks which are an elongation of the second upper incisors, while females lack tusks.[Source: Nikitha Karkala, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian elephants have gray skin that is covered with hair. In adults, this hair is sparse, while calves have thicker brown hair.. The trunk is a distinctive feature of the elephant family (Elephantidae).

Difference Between Asian Elephants and African Elephants

size of young male Asian elephants compared to a human

There are several differences between Asian elephants (genus Elephas) and African elephants (genus Loxodonta), which is the only other genus of elephants still alive. Asian elephants have an arched back, two watermelon-size humps on their forehead, relatively small tusks, four toes on their front feet, smoother skin, relatively small ears that fold forward and are shaped like India, and a single finger-like protuberance at the tip of their trunk, differing from African elephants. which have two fingerlike projections.. Only males Asian elephants have tusks while both male and female African elephants have tusks.. African and Asian elephants are different enough that they can not can not produce offspring. By contrast, lions and tigers can produce offspring if they mate.

Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants. Adult male Asian elephants weigh up to four tons and stand 9 to 10½ feet tall at the shoulder, and females weigh as much 3.3 tons. Adult male African elephants weigh up to six tons and stand 11 feet tall at the shoulder, and females weigh as much four tons. Bush elephants live in most countries south of the Saharan and forest elephants live Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast and other central and west African nations. African elephants are more difficult to tame than Asian elephants although some have been trained for circus and as mounts for tourists in southern Africa. The largest Asian elephant was an animal found in Nepal named Tula hatti ("the great elephant") that stood 11 feet at the shoulder and had a foot print that measured 22 inches across.

Asian elephants often have patches of white skin on their trunks and ears but it is often difficult to see them and tell the true color of an Asian elephant because after they bath they use their trunks to cover themselves with dirt. The elephants do this to suffocate pests and fool of their skin, much the same way a woman powders her skin after a bath. Their mellow temperament allows them to be trained for entertainment in circuses and heavy labor such as lifting logs onto trucks and pulling them through the forest.African elephants have darker skin, large tusks, a smooth forehead, a dip in their back, five toes on their front feet, large ears that fold backward over the shoulder, and two finger-like protuberances at the tip of their trunk. Both male and females have tusks.

According to Animal Diversity Web: Asian elephants has large flat ears, but they are smaller than the ears of African elephants. Asian elephants have four hooves on the hind foot while African elephants have only three hooves. Asian elephants has a flat back while African elephants have a sloping back. As a result, the head is the highest part of the body in Asian elephants, while the shoulders are the highest in African elephants. [Source: Nikitha Karkala, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian Elephant Age

On average an Asian elephants lives to be around 40 or 50. Their life cycle closely parallels that of humans. They reach sexual maturity at the age of 11 to 14, reach full growth at around 30, and die around 50 or 60 in captivity (they die sooner in the wild which is a less forgiving environment for old elephants). Scientists measure their age by measuring the size of their footprints. Whales are believed to live longer but it is difficult to verify their age.

Asian elephants often live into their mid-50s and often into their 60s. A few have made it into their 80s. Lin Wang, an Asian elephant at Taipei Zoo in Taiwan, lived to be 86. At the time of his death in 2003, he held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest elephant in captivity. The oldest verified age of a mammal other than human is 78 years, by a female Asian elephant that died in a zoo in Santa Clara, California in July 1975. Dakshayani, an elephant at the Chengalloor Mahadeva Temple in Kerala, India. Nicknamed "Gaja Muthassi" (meaning "elephant granny"), she died in 2019 at 88 years of age. Among the elephant in their 70s in the U.S. are are Shirley, who lives at Tennessee's Elephant Sanctuary, is 70 years old and Ambika at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. It is important to keep in mind that many of these ages are estimates.

Tooth wear limits the lifespan in Asian elephants. The plant food that they eat causes wear on the teeth. Asian elephants has multiple sets of molars that push out and replace the teeth as they are worn out. There is a set number of molars, so when all of the teeth are pushed out and worn down, the elephant cannot eat food and dies. The mortality rate for elephants between five and 40 years old is about three percent per year. The death rate for males is higher than the death rate for females. This is because males can be killed while fighting and competing with other males. Also, males may not be as fit as females, because of the higher metabolic costs associated with musth. Whales are believed to live longer but it is difficult to verify their age. It is

Elephants live longer in wild than zoos according to a study published in Science in December 2008. Randolph E. Schmid of AP wrote: “Researchers compared the life spans of elephants in European zoos with those living in Amboseli National Park in Kenya and others working on a timber enterprise in Myanmar. Animals in the wild or in natural working conditions had life spans twice that or more of their relatives in zoos. [Source: Randolph E. Schmid, AP, December 11, 2008]

Asian Elephant Food and Eating Behavior

Elephants: 1) spend 16 to 18 hours a day either feeding or moving toward a source of food or water; 2) consume between 130 to 660 pounds (60 to 300 kilograms ) of food each day; 3) drink between 16 to 40 gallons (60 to 160 l) of water per day; 4) produce between 310 to 400 pounds (140 to 180 kilograms ) of dung per day. [Source: ucmp.berkeley.edu]

Asian elephants are primarily herbivores (eat plants or plants parts) and folivores (eat mainly leaves). Among the many kinds of plant foods eat are leaves, roots and tubers wood, bark, or stems seeds, grains, and nuts fruit flowers.[Source: Nikitha Karkala, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Over 100 species of plants have been observed being eaten by Asian elephants or found in there feces. Most of the diet of Asian elephants consists of Fabaceae (legumes), Poaceae (grasses), Cyperaceae (sedges), Palmae (palms), Euphorbiaceae (spurges), Rhamnaceae (buckthorn) and Malvales (mallows, sterculias and basswoods). They also eat bamboo, sugarcane, crops, roots of trees, flowers, fruit, seeds, grains, and the bark of trees. The trunk is important for the diversity of food habits in the elephant because it allows the elephant to grasp many types of food.

Threats to and Ecological to Roles of Asian Elephants

According to Animal Diversity Web: The only predators of Asian elephants are Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris), which attack calves. Adult elephants are very large and have tusks making it dangerous for predators to attack. To avoid predation, younger elephants stay towards the center of a group, which provides protection. [Source: Nikitha Karkala, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian elephants are considered a keystone species because of their large impact on the ecosystem. They eat a very large amount of food daily, which facilitates nutrient cycling. Because of their large size, they transform the habitat by tearing down trees. This creates gaps in the forest, allowing small animals to move around. This space also allows for the growth of herbaceous plants, which are food for small animals.

Asian elephants are mutualists with some types of seed plants. The elephants eat the seeds as food. Once they are done digesting them, they will be dropped with the feces a large distance away from the original location, helping with seed dispersal. Asian elephants also has a mutualistic relationship with the microbes in their digestive system. The microbes help digest the plant food that the elephant eats. The major parasites of Asian elephants are mostly nematodes and parasitic worms.

Asian Elephants Killed by Lightning

In May 2021, a herd of 18 Asian elephants in Nagaon in Assam, northeast India was killed when forest struck by lightning in the Kandoli protected forest reserve. It was largest number of elephants to die at once in Assam in 20 years Villagers nearby alerted the authorities after finding the carcasses of the animals in the forest. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was concerned about such a "huge number of elephants" dying, and that an investigation had been ordered. [Source: BBC, May 14, 2021]

In May 2016, four elephants, including two calves, were killed by lightning in northern Sri Lanka in one of the worst wildlife tragedies to hit the country in years. AFP reported: “A female elephant, aged about 25 years, and two of her calves, aged 10 months and two years, and an eight-year-old female were found dead just outside the Wilpattu wildlife sanctuary, an official said. “"Villagers from neighbouring areas alerted the authorities and we carried out autopsies," wildlife veterinary surgeon Chandana Jayasinghe said. "The deaths were caused by lightning." [Source: AFP, May 8, 2016]

“Local villagers in Mahavilachchiya, 250 kilometers (156 miles) north of Colombo, had reported heavy rains accompanied by thunder and lightning in the shrub jungle area on Friday when the elephants were thought to have been struck. “It was the worst natural disaster involving elephants since February 2011 when four baby elephants drowned in a major flood in the north-east of the country.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated December 2024