All About Elephants..

The elephant in general and the Sri Lankan elephant in particular..

Quick Physical Statistics Elephants typically reach at thirteen or fourteen years of age They breed / have offspring up until they are around fifty years old They may live seventy years or possibly more A cow produces a single calf and in very rare cases twins The interval between births is between two and a half to four years An elephant´s trunk, a union of the nose and upper lip, is a highly sensitive organ with over 100,000 muscle units.

	Do you want more physical information? Please see the anatomy section!

Interesting Facts Elephant trunks can get very heavy. It is not uncommon to see elephants resting them over a tusk! Elephants cry, play, have incredible memories, and laugh! Elephants are sensitive fellow animals where if a baby complains, the entire family will rumble and go over to touch and caress it. Elephants have greeting ceremonies when a friend that has been away for some time returns to the group. Elephants grieve at a loss of a stillborn baby, a family member, and in many cases other elephants. Elephants don't drink with their trunks, but use them as "tools" to drink with. This is accomplished by filling the trunk with water and then using it as a hose to pour it into the elephant's mouth. Interestingly, the Asian elephant is more closely related to the extinct mammoth than to the African elephant (see evolution).

			"Therefore understanding that rests in what it does not understand is the finest" Chuang Tzu translated by Burton Watson
		An Introduction to Elephant Impact A Super Keystone Species It seems inevitable that as long as we humans impose our own theories on how to best govern nature, there will be a difference of opinion of "animal" management. Over the course of evolution, the elephant as we know it today has evolved into a strong forced bulldozer that has the power to modify the landscape it resides in. For elephants their effect on the landscape is often considered destruction, but is it? The answer to this question partially depends on your preconceived views of "nature". If you see nature as something static and in a particular way then any change no matter how minute will amount to destruction. An interesting statistic found in the book African Elephants: A Celebration of Majesty about this issue; a general estimation shows that Man is clearing more forests in one day that all the elephants in Africa will 'destroy' within one year. Put in perspective, the effect that elephants have on their environment may not be as serious are we have been led to believe. Unfortunately for some, our narrow opinion of seeing elephants as only living bulldozers of destruction is far from the case. As much as 80 percent of what elephants consume is returned to the soil as barely digested highly fertile manure.
	The Ecological Impact of the Elephant is Priceless! Elephants provide a vital role in the ecosystem they inhabit. They modify their habitat by converting savannah and woodlands to grasslands Elephants can provide water for other species by digging water holes in dry riverbeds the depressions created by their footprints and their bodies trap rainfall Elephants act as seed dispersers by their fecal matter. It is often carried below ground by dung beetles and termites causing the soil to become more aerated and further distributing the nutrients Their paths act as firebreaks and rain water conduits An Elephants journey through the high grass provides food for birds by disturbing small reptiles, amphibians or insects.
	In the tradition of elephant sites, we have provided a breakdown of elephants into two categories for basic physical statistics. Keep in mind that the two "groups" are quite different genetically and the Asian elephant (as noted) is actually more closely related to the extinct mammoth than the African elephant.
	SRI LANKA PICTURES   Sri Lankan Elephas Maximus Maximus Mainland Elephas Maximus Indicus Sumatran Elephas Maximus Sumatranus Height 2-3.5 metres 2-3 metres 2-2.5 metres Weight 3-5 tonnes 2.5-4.5  tonnes 2-4 tonnes Colour grey with large areas of depigmentation lighter grey very light grey The Asian elephant, Elephas Maximus, has an enormous domed head with relatively small ears, an arched back and a single finger like protuberance that is located at the tip of the trunk. An Asian elephant has five toes on the front of the feet and and four on the back.   A large bull could typically weighs six tons and is ten feet high at the shoulder. As with gorillas, there is a large degree of sexual dimorphism between males and females in Asian Elephants where adult females are about half the size of the largest males.   The males have tusks and the females have 'tushes', which are shore second incisors that just stick out beyond the upper lip. However, it is important to note that on occasion females some times have longer tushes than described.  The gestation period is between nineteen and twenty-two months. Periodically, it is noted that male infants typically have a slightly longer term than females.    Savannah Loxodonta Africana Africana Forest Loxodonta Africana Cyclotis Height 3-4 metres 2-3 metres Weight 4-7 tonnes 2-4 tonnes Colour grey dark grey The African elephant, Loxodonta Africana, have a straight back, enormous ears, and two trunk 'fingers'.  African elephants are named for the peculiar shaped ridges of their molar teeth; the ridges of an African elephant's teeth are coarser and fewer than those of the Asian elephant. The African elephant has only four toes on the front feet and three on the back. Interestingly, it has one more vertebra in the lumbar section of the spine.  Both sexes have tusks, and they are also larger in size as compared to male and female Asian elephants.  The largest African elephant recorded weighed over nine tons and stood more than twelve feet high at the shoulder. As in Asian elephants, the female African elephant is generally half the size of a fully grown male.  Gestation period tends to be slightly longer than in the Asian elephant. Physical Appearance: Asian elephants differ in several ways from their African relatives. They have smaller ears which are straight at the bottom, unlike the large fan-shape ears of the African species. Asian elephants are much smaller, weighing between 6,615 and 11,020 pounds at a height of about 7 to 12 feet compared to the 8,820 to 15,430 at 10 to 13 feet of the African elephant. The Sri Lankan species (E. m. maximus) is the largest, darkest, and has patches of depigmentation (an area without color) on their ears, face, trunk and belly. The Sumatran (E. m. sumatranus) elephant is the smallest and lightest. The third sub-species, E. m. indicus has a mix of characteristics from the two other sub-species. Geographic Range: Asian elephants live in fragmented forests in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China (extinct in wild), Malaysia, Indonesia, and Borneo. Biomes: Tropical savanna, tropical rainforest, tropical deciduous forest, mountains (Himalayas). Habitat: Asian elephants live in many different habitats including open grasslands, marshes, savannas and forests. IUCN Status: Endangered The IUCN's Species Survival Commission's Asian Elephant Specialist Group estimates that there are approximately 38,000 to 51,000 wild Asian elephants. In comparison, there are more than 600,000 African elephants. Threats To Survival: The loss of habitat is the primary threat to Asian elephants. Approximately 20% of the world's population lives in or near the range of Asian elephants. The homes of these elephants are being cleared for many reasons including warfare, agricultural development, human settlement, and logging. Asian elephants are less prone to poaching (killing elephants for ivory tusks) because few males (and no females) grow tusks. In China, the penalty for poaching is the death sentence. Conflicts between Asian elephants and humans often occur because of habitat destruction. Sometimes there is not enough food in small forests to sustain elephants, so they look for the nearest source which is usually the field of a local farmer. (profiled in The Wild Times Winter 1996 issue) is studying this human-elephant conflict and looking for ways to ease the tension. "Bath Time" Asian cow and calves in Sri Lanka photo by Mary Pearl Reproductive Cycle and Habits: Female Asian elephants are capable of giving birth approximately every 4-6 years, about 7 calves in a lifetime. Babies are carried inside elephant mothers for 19-22 months, almost 2 years. Asian elephants can live as long as 60-70 old. When adult male elephants search for a female to breed with they produce musth fluid signaling females that they are ready to mate. Elephants live in matriarchal (mother headed) families. Mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts all help raising babies. Male Asian elephants live alone or in male only groups. Diet: Asian elephants are among the largest herbivores (plant eaters) preferring grasses, leaves, trees, and shrubs. Their diet varies from acacia trees to wild mangos. Language: How many ways can you communicate? Asian elephants talk to each other by touch, sound and scent. When a young Asian elephant is stressed and nervous they will go to an adult and place the tip of their trunk in the adults mouth. Elephants also use a broad range of sounds to communicate. Recently scientists noticed elephants talk to each other at infrasonic (sounds humans are unable to hear) levels. Males secrete musth, a signal to local females that males are ready to reproduce. "Elephant Crossing Sign from Indonesia" Photo by Kathy Prout of Frank Antonides Elephant Resources: Books About Elephants Rosy is My Relative Faithful Elephants Elephant Days & Nights Cultural Importance: Humans use elephants in Asia to log forests, transport heavy loads and carry tourists. Elephants can walk in areas where machines are unable to navigate. About 15,000 Asian elephants are held in captivity as work animals. Elephants are important in Asian folklore and religion. They are believed to be cousins of the clouds and able to cause lightening.