The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), is one of the three species of elephant. It lives in areas in India, Southeast Asia, including the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. It is distinguishable by its smaller size and its smaller ears, compared to African elephants. Small is relative in this case, since the Asian elephant can weigh up to 5000 kilograms and 4 meters in height! Females live in groups, bulls are solitary. The oldest female leads the group and guides their movement in search for food and water. The young hold their mother's or their sister's tail when following the group. If they are in danger, the elephants run with their tails in the air, signalling the other herd members that there is danger. After 15 years, bulls enter sexual maturity, and enter a period called 'musth' each year, in which their testosterone levels soar and they become extemely aggressive. Asian elephants are considered 'endangered' by the IUCN. Photography by Semnoz, July 2004, licensed under GFDL
The Asian elephant, indian elephant is listed as Endangered (EN), considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Namings for the Asiatic elephant
A young / baby of a Asiatic elephant is called a 'calf'. The females are called 'cow' and males 'bull'. A Asiatic elephant group is called a 'herd, flock, parade or memory'.Countries
Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and VietnamSome facts about the
Asian elephant
Adult weight : 3178 kg (6991.6 lbs)
Maximum longevity : 66 years
Female maturity :3287 days
Male maturity : 3287 days
Gestation : 644 days
Weaning : 548 days
Litter size : 1
Interval between litters : 1141 days
Weight at birth : 107 kg (235.4 lbs)
Basal metabolic rate : 2337 W
Body mass : 3672 kg (8078.4 lbs)
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