Asian Elephant

The Asian Elephant, sometimes known as the Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus) is one of the three living species of elephant, and the only living species of the genus Elephas. It is smaller than its African relatives, and the easiest way to distinguish the two is the smaller ears of the Asian Elephant. Asian elephants tend to grow to around two to four meters (7-12 feet) in height and 3,000-5,000 kilograms (6,500-11,000 pounds) in weight.

Asian Elephants have other differences from their African relatives, including a more arched back than the African, one semi-prehensile "finger" at the tip of their trunk as opposed to two, 4 nails on each hind foot instead of three, and 19 pairs of ribs instead of 21. Also, unlike female African Elephants, female Asian Elephants lack tusks. The forehead has two hemispherical bulges unlike the flat front of the African. Some males may also lack tusks and they are termed as makhnas. The population in Sri Lanka has a greater number of makhnas.

This animal is widely domesticated, and has been used in forestry in Southeast Asia for centuries and also for use in ceremonial purposes. Historical sources point out they were sometimes used during the harvest season primarily for milling. Wild elephants attract tourist money to the areas where they can most readily be seen, but damage crops and may enter villages to raid gardens.

Behaviour

Elephant herds in the wild follow well defined seasonal migration routes. These are made around the monsoon seasons, often between the wet and dry zones, and it is the task of the eldest to remember and follow the traditional migration routes. When human farms are found in these old routes there is often considerable damage made to crops and it is common for elephants to be killed in the ensuing conflicts.

Elephants live on average for 60 years in the wild and 80 in captivity. They eat 10% of their body weight each day, which is for adults between 170 - 200 kilos of food per day. They need 80 - 200 litres of water a day and use more for bathing. They sometimes scrape soil for minerals.

Elephants use infrasound to communicate and this was first noted by the Indian naturalist M. Krishnan and later studied by Katherine Payne

Female behaviour

Female elephants live in small groups. They have a matriarchal society and the group is led by the oldest female. The herd consists of relatives. An individual reaches sexual maturity at 9-15 years. The gestation period is 18-22 months and they give birth to 1 calf and rarely twins. The calf weighs about 220 lb, (100 kg) and they are suckled for up to 2-3 years. Females stay on with the herd, but males are chased away.

Male behaviour

Bull elephants are usually solitary and they fight over females during the breeding season. Younger bulls may form small groups. Males reach sexual maturity during their 15th year, after which they annually enter "musth". This is a period where the testosterone level is high (up to 60 times greater) and they become extremely aggressive. Secretions containing pheromones occur during this period, from the temporal glands on the forehead.

Danger of elephants

An animal of this size is potentially dangerous. Care should be taken when walking or driving at night or in the late evening in areas where wild elephants roam. Particularly, potential meetings with unpredictable adult males, or females with nearby young, are best avoided. The most dangerous are aggressive, so-called rogue elephants which are usually young solitary bulls.

In history and religion

The elephant plays an important part in the culture of the subcontinent and beyond featuring prominently in Jataka tales and the Panchatantra. It is also quite venerated and the "blessings" of a temple elephant is sought by Hindus as Lord Ganesha's head is made up of an elephant. It has been used in majestic processions in Kerala where the pachyderms are adorned with festive outfits. They were used by almost all armies in India as war elephants, terrifying opponents unused to the massive beast.

In western literature

The Asian elephant figures prominently in The Jungle Book and other writings of Rudyard Kipling, a British writer born in India.

Subspecies

Elephas maximus is the only surviving species in the Elephas genus; Elephas recki, an even larger species, is extinct.

There are four subspecies of Asian elephant:

Indian Elephant (E. m. indicus) Officially The National Animal of Bharat (Hindustan)
Sri Lankan Elephant (E. m. maximus)
Sumatran Elephant (E. m. sumatrensis)
Borneo Elephant (E. m. borneensis)

The population in Vietnam and Laos is currently undergoing tests to determine if it is a fifth subspecies.

E. m. indicus survives in separate ranges in southern India, the Himalayan foothills, and northwest India; it is also found in southern China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and the Malaysian peninsula. Most males of this subspecies have tusks.
E. m. maximus is only found in Sri Lanka. It has a larger skull relative to body size, and commonly has a decolourised area of skin on the forehead and the front of the upper trunk. It is rare to find even males with tusks. Males can reach a height of 3.5 metres at the shoulder.
E. m. sumatrensis is only found in Sumatra. It is the second smallest subspecies, between 1.7 to 2.6 metres at the shoulder. It is sometimes called the pocket elephant because of its size.
E. m. borneensis is found in north Borneo (east Sabah and extreme north Kalimantan). It is smaller than all the other subspecies. It has larger ears, a longer tail, and straighter tusks. Genetic tests found that its ancestors separated from the mainland population about 300,000 years ago.Fernando P, Vidya TNC, Payne J, Stuewe M, Davison G, et al. (2003) DNA Analysis Indicates That Asian Elephants Are Native to Borneo and Are Therefore a High Priority for Conservation. PLoS Biol 1(1): e6 Full text

The extinct Chinese population is sometimes separated as E. m. rubridens (Pink-tusked Elephant); it disappeared after the 14th century BC. The unnamed Syrian population, possibly a separate subspecies (E.m.asurus), disappeared around 100 BC.

Trend of Extinction

It is estimated that by the early 2050s there will no longer be a viable population of Asian elephants. (See National Geographic February 2006).

References

Ranjith Bandara and Clem Tisdell (2004), "The net benefit of saving the Asian elephant: a policy and contingent valuation study", Ecological Economics, 48(1) - in Sri Lanka, urban residents' willingness to pay to save the elephant exceeds crop damage by elephants.

External links

ARKive - images and movies of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
National Zoo Facts on Asian Elephant and a Webcam of the Asian Elephant exhibit
Elephant Nature Park,Northern Thailand Park's Volunteer Site
The Chaffee Zoo Asian Elephant Fact Sheet
Webcam of Asian Elephants at Munich Zoo Hellabrunn
Elephant Information Repository - An in-depth resource on elephants
Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) facts - Wild Animals Online encyclopedia
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Species Profile

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