152-494: The Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ), also known as the Asiatic elephant , is a species of elephant distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia , from India in the west to Borneo in the east, and Nepal in the north to Sumatra in the south. Three subspecies are recognised— E. m. maximus , E. m. indicus and E. m. sumatranus . The Asian elephant
304-511: A status symbol , a beast of burden , and an elevated platform for hunting during historical times in South Asia . Asian elephants have been captured from the wild and tamed for use by humans. Their ability to work under instruction makes them particularly useful for carrying heavy objects. They have been used particularly for timber -carrying in jungle areas. Other than their work use, they have been used in war, in ceremonies, and for carriage. It
456-413: A 'breaking in' process, which may involve being tied up, confined, starved, beaten and tortured; as a result, two-thirds may perish. Handlers use a technique known as the training crush , in which "handlers use sleep-deprivation, hunger, and thirst to "break" the elephants' spirit and make them submissive to their owners"; moreover, handlers drive nails into the elephants' ears and feet. The Asian elephant
608-511: A 2010 study, it was estimated that in India alone, over 400 people were killed by elephants each year, and 0.8 to 1 million hectares were damaged, affecting at least 500,000 families across the country. Moreover, elephants are known to destroy crops worth up to US$ 2–3 million annually. This has major impacts on the welfare and livelihoods of local communities, as well as the future conservation of this species. In countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka ,
760-409: A Y. The female's clitoris may be 40 cm (16 in). The vulva is found lower than in other herbivores, between the hind legs instead of under the tail. Determining pregnancy status can be difficult due to the animal's large belly. The female's mammary glands occupy the space between the front legs, which puts the suckling calf within reach of the female's trunk. Elephants have a unique organ,
912-449: A day. Elephants tend to stay near water sources. They have morning, afternoon, and nighttime feeding sessions. At midday, elephants rest under trees and may doze off while standing. Sleeping occurs at night while the animal is lying down. Elephants average 3–4 hours of sleep per day. Both males and family groups typically move no more than 20 km (12 mi) a day, but distances as far as 180 km (112 mi) have been recorded in
1064-504: A faster gait similar to running. In walking, the legs act as pendulums, with the hips and shoulders moving up and down while the foot is planted on the ground. The fast gait does not meet all the criteria of running, since there is no point where all the feet are off the ground, although the elephant uses its legs much like other running animals, and can move faster by quickening its stride. Fast-moving elephants appear to 'run' with their front legs, but 'walk' with their hind legs and can reach
1216-400: A flehmen response in a calf. Females stay on with the herd, but mature males are chased away. Female Asian elephants sexually mature around the age of 10~15 and keep growing until 30, while males fully mature at more than the age of 25, and constantly grow throughout their life. Average elephant life expectancy is 60 years in the wild and 80 in captivity, although this has been exaggerated in
1368-399: A four to five-year birth interval. During this period, mother to calf communication primarily takes place through temporal means. However, male calves have been known to develop sex pheromone-producing organs at a young age. Early maturity of the vomeronasal organ allows immature elephants to produce and receive pheromones . It is unlikely that the integration of these pheromones will result in
1520-494: A human brain. It is the largest of all terrestrial mammals. While the elephant brain is larger overall, it is proportionally smaller than the human brain . At birth, an elephant's brain already weighs 30–40% of its adult weight. The cerebrum and cerebellum are well developed, and the temporal lobes are so large that they bulge out laterally. Their temporal lobes are proportionally larger than those of other animals, including humans. The throat of an elephant appears to contain
1672-779: A long proboscis called a trunk, tusks , large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile , bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa , South Asia, and Southeast Asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs , forests, deserts, and marshes . They are herbivorous , and they stay near water when it
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#17328515029971824-481: A major role in Hinduism : the god Ganesha 's head is that of an elephant, and the "blessings" of a temple elephant are highly valued. Elephants are frequently used in processions where the animals are adorned with festive outfits. The Asian elephant is depicted in several Indian manuscripts and treatises with notable amongst these including Matanga Lila (elephant sport) of Nilakantha. The manuscript Hastividyarnava
1976-420: A male in musth, they often retreat to avoid coming in contact with aggressive behaviors. Female elephants have also been seen to communicate with each other through pheromone in urine. The purpose of this type of intersex communication is still being investigated. However, there are clear differences in signaling strength and receiver response throughout different stages of the estrous cycle. The gestation period
2128-464: A mosaic of successional-stage vegetation. Populations inhabiting small habitat fragments are much more liable to come into conflict with humans. Development such as border fencing along the India–Bangladesh border has become a major impediment to the free movement of elephants. In Assam , more than 1,150 humans and 370 elephants died as a result of human-elephant conflict between 1980 and 2003. In
2280-626: A mother Asian elephant allegedly being killed alongside her calf; however, this account is contestable. In 2011 and 2014, two instances were recorded of tigers successfully killing adult elephants; one by a single tiger in Jim Corbett National Park on a 20-year-old young adult elephant cow, and another on a 28-year-old sick adult bull in Kaziranga National Park further east, which was taken down and eaten by several tigers hunting cooperatively. Elephants appear to distinguish between
2432-667: A much younger age in captivity; captive populations are declining due to a low birth and high death rate. The earliest indications of captive use of Asian elephants are engravings on seals of the Indus Valley civilisation dated to the 3rd millennium BC. Carl Linnaeus proposed the scientific name Elephas maximus in 1758 for an elephant from Ceylon . Elephas indicus was proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1798, who described an elephant from India. Coenraad Jacob Temminck named an elephant from Sumatra Elephas sumatranus in 1847. Frederick Nutter Chasen classified all three as subspecies of
2584-501: A popular cultural icon both in India and the West. A key aspect of conservation is connectivity of the preferred movement routes of Asian elephants through areas with high vegetation cover and low human population density. The World Elephant Day is celebrated annually on 12 August since 2012. Events are organized to divulge information and to engage people about the problems that the Asian elephant
2736-548: A pouch where it can store water for later use. The larynx of the elephant is the largest known among mammals. The vocal folds are anchored close to the epiglottis base. When comparing an elephant's vocal folds to those of a human, an elephant's are proportionally longer, thicker, with a greater cross-sectional area. In addition, they are located further up the vocal tract with an acute slope. The heart of an elephant weighs 12–21 kg (26–46 lb). Its apex has two pointed ends, an unusual trait among mammals. In addition,
2888-418: A protective crust. Elephants have difficulty releasing heat through the skin because of their low surface-area-to-volume ratio , which is many times smaller than that of a human. They have even been observed lifting up their legs to expose their soles to the air. Elephants only have sweat glands between the toes, but the skin allows water to disperse and evaporate, cooling the animal. In addition, cracks in
3040-445: A result of such conflicts. Expanding human development disrupts their migration routes, depletes their food sources, and destroys their habitat. Another threat is insufficient forestation or a lack of trees due to logging. Borneo elephants need 100–225 litres (22–49 imp gal; 26–59 US gal) of water a day and if it is harder to find because of climatic conditions or cutting their resource of water, their only option
3192-578: A separate evolutionarily significant unit . In general, Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants and have the highest body point on the head. The tip of their trunk has one finger-like process. Their back is convex or level. It has become commonplace to refer to the Borneo elephant as a 'pygmy' subspecies, although adult elephants of Sabah of both genders are similar in height to their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia . Five measurements of
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#17328515029973344-541: A single species, Loxodonta africana , but molecular studies have affirmed their status as separate species. Mammoths ( Mammuthus ) are nested within living elephants as they are more closely related to Asian elephants than to African elephants. Another extinct genus of elephant, Palaeoloxodon , is also recognised, which appears to have close affinities with African elephants and to have hybridised with African forest elephants. Over 180 extinct members of order Proboscidea have been described. The earliest proboscideans,
3496-440: A strong grasp. The flexibility of the trunk is aided by the numerous wrinkles in the skin. The African elephants have two finger-like extensions at the tip of the trunk that allow them to pluck small food. The Asian elephant has only one and relies more on wrapping around a food item. Asian elephant trunks have better motor coordination . The trunk's extreme flexibility allows it to forage and wrestle other elephants with it. It
3648-661: A top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph). At this speed, most other quadrupeds are well into a gallop, even accounting for leg length. Spring-like kinetics could explain the difference between the motion of elephants and other animals. The cushion pads expand and contract, and reduce both the pain and noise that would come from a very heavy animal moving. Elephants are capable swimmers: they can swim for up to six hours while completely waterborne, moving at 2.1 km/h (1 mph) and traversing up to 48 km (30 mi) continuously. The brain of an elephant weighs 4.5–5.5 kg (10–12 lb) compared to 1.6 kg (4 lb) for
3800-456: A water source. In China , the Asian elephant survives only in the prefectures of Xishuangbanna , Simao and Lincang of southern Yunnan . As of 2020, the estimated population was around 300 individuals. As of 2017, the estimated wild population in India account for nearly three-fourths of the extant population, at 27,312 individuals. In 2019, the Asian elephant population in India increased to an estimated 27,000–29,000 individuals. As of 2019,
3952-589: A wide variety of behaviours, including those associated with grief , learning, allomothering , mimicry , play, altruism , use of tools , compassion , cooperation , self-awareness , memory , and language . Elephants reportedly head to safer ground during natural disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes, but data from two satellite-collared Sri Lankan elephants indicate this may be untrue. Several students of elephant cognition and neuroanatomy are convinced that Asian elephants are highly intelligent and self-aware. Others contest this view. The pre-eminent threats to
4104-432: A year. As the tusk develops, it is topped with smooth, cone-shaped enamel that eventually wanes. The dentine is known as ivory and has a cross-section of intersecting lines, known as "engine turning", which create diamond-shaped patterns. Being living tissue, tusks are fairly soft and about as dense as the mineral calcite . The tusk protrudes from a socket in the skull, and most of it is external. At least one-third of
4256-406: Is 18–22 months, and the cow gives birth to one calf , only occasionally twins . The calf is fully developed by the 19th month, but stays in the womb to grow so that it can reach its mother to feed. At birth, the calf weighs about 100 kg (220 lb), and is suckled for up to three years. Once a female gives birth, she usually does not breed again until the first calf is weaned, resulting in
4408-694: Is 5.5–6.5 m (18–21 ft) with the tail being 1.2–1.5 m (3.9–4.9 ft) long. The largest bull elephant ever recorded was shot by the Maharajah of Susang in the Garo Hills of Assam, India , in 1924, it weighed an estimated 7 t (7.7 short tons), stood 3.43 m (11.3 ft) tall at the shoulder and was 8.06 m (26.4 ft) long from head to tail. There are reports of larger individuals as tall as 3.7 m (12 ft). Asian elephants are distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia , from India in
4560-481: Is a parasitic trematode that uses the Asian elephant as a definitive host. Two other hosts may be the Indian elephant and the greater one-horned rhinoceros. The Asian elephant is listed on CITES Appendix I . It is a quintessential flagship species , deployed to catalyze a range of conservation goals, including habitat conservation at landscape scales, generating public awareness on conservation issues, and mobilisation as
4712-409: Is accessible. They are considered to be keystone species , due to their impact on their environments. Elephants have a fission–fusion society , in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The leader of a female group, usually the oldest cow, is known as
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4864-400: Is characterised by its long trunk with a single finger-like processing; large tusks in males; laterally folded large ears but smaller in contrast to African elephants; and wrinkled grey skin. The skin is smoother than African elephants and may be depigmented on the trunk, ears or neck. Adult males average 4 tonnes (4.4 short tons ) in weight, and females 2.7 t (3.0 short tons). It
5016-691: Is derived from the Latin word elephas ( genitive elephantis ) ' elephant ' , which is the Latinised form of the ancient Greek ἐλέφας ( elephas ) (genitive ἐλέφαντος ( elephantos )), probably from a non- Indo-European language , likely Phoenician . It is attested in Mycenaean Greek as e-re-pa (genitive e-re-pa-to ) in Linear B syllabic script. As in Mycenaean Greek, Homer used
5168-438: Is especially true of males in musth and of females with young. Gunfire and other similar methods of deterring, which are known to be effective against many kinds of wild animals including tigers, may or may not work with elephants, and can even worsen the situation. Elephants that have been abused by humans in the past often become "rogue elephants", which regularly attack people with no provocation. The demand for ivory during
5320-581: Is facing. August has been established as the Asian Elephant Awareness Month by zoos and conservation partners in the United States. Karnataka state in India hosts the most Asian elephants of any known area, comprising around 20% of the total population in the country. The distribution of elephants in the state according to one estimate is roughly 38,310 km (14,790 sq mi). In a 2013 study, an estimated 10, 000 elephants inhabited
5472-590: Is from Assam in northeast India. In the Burmese, Thai and Sinhalese animal and planetary zodiac , the Asian elephant, both tusked and tuskless, are the fourth and fifth animal zodiacs of the Burmese , the fourth animal zodiac of the Thai , and the second animal zodiac of the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka. Similarly, the elephant is the twelfth animal zodiac in the Dai animal zodiac of
5624-539: Is not known to affect other mammals. The first surge in Luteinizing hormone is not followed by the release of an egg from the ovaries. However, some female elephants still exhibit the expected mating protocols during this surge. Female elephants give ovulatory cues by utilizing sex pheromones . A principal component thereof, (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate, has also been found to be a sex pheromone in numerous species of insects. In both insects and elephants, this chemical compound
5776-789: Is one of only three living species of elephants or elephantids anywhere in the world, the others being the African bush elephant and African forest elephant . Further, the Asian elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas . It is the second largest species of elephant after the African bush elephant. It frequently inhabits grasslands , tropical evergreen forests , semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests , dry deciduous forests and dry thorn forests. They are herbivorous, eating about 150 kg (330 lb) of vegetation per day. Cows and calves form groups, while males remain solitary or form "bachelor groups" with other males. During
5928-417: Is powerful enough to lift up to 350 kg (770 lb), but it also has the precision to crack a peanut shell without breaking the seed. With its trunk, an elephant can reach items up to 7 m (23 ft) high and dig for water in the mud or sand below. It also uses it to clean itself. Individuals may show lateral preference when grasping with their trunks: some prefer to twist them to the left, others to
6080-640: Is reported that war elephants are still used by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin State in northern Myanmar against Myanmar's military. The KIA use about four dozen elephants to carry supplies. The Asian elephant plays an important part in the culture of the subcontinent and beyond, being featured prominently in the Panchatantra fables and the Buddhist Jataka tales. They play
6232-480: Is the national animal of Thailand and Laos. It has also been declared as the national heritage animal of India. Bones of Asian elephants excavated at Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley indicate that they were tamed in the Indus Valley Civilisation and used for work. Decorated elephants are also depicted on seals and were modelled in clay. The Asian elephant became a siege engine , a mount in war,
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6384-506: Is to migrate to where they can find that resource to survive. As of April 2012, an estimated 20–80 elephants range near 22 villages in the Sebuku subdistrict of Nunukan, North Kalimantan . Elephas maximus is listed on CITES Appendix I . The genetic distinctiveness of Borneo elephants makes them one of the highest priority populations for Asian elephant conservation. In Malaysia, the Borneo elephants are protected under schedule II of
6536-548: Is typically more worn down, as it is shorter and blunter. For African elephants, tusks are present in both males and females and are around the same length in both sexes, reaching up to 300 cm (9 ft 10 in), but those of males tend to be more massive. In the Asian species, only the males have large tusks. Female Asians have very small tusks, or none at all. Tuskless males exist and are particularly common among Sri Lankan elephants . Asian males can have tusks as long as Africans', but they are usually slimmer and lighter;
6688-430: Is used as an attractant to assist the mating process. In elephants, the chemical is secreted through urination and this aids in the attraction of bulls to mate. Once detected, the chemical stimulates the vomeronasal organ of the bull, thus providing information on the maturity of the female. Reproductive signaling exchange between male and female elephants are transmitted through olfactory cues in bodily fluids. In males,
6840-628: The National Geographic magazine, but not as a living elephant in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature . These elephants living in northern Borneo are smaller than all the other subspecies, but had larger ears, a longer tail, and straight tusks. Results of genetic analysis indicate that their ancestors separated from the mainland population about 300,000 years ago. A study in 2003, using mitochondrial DNA analysis and microsatellite data , indicated that
6992-552: The Bering Strait into the Holocene, with their latest survival being on Wrangel Island , where they persisted until around 4,000 years ago. Over the course of their evolution, probobscideans grew in size. With that came longer limbs and wider feet with a more digitigrade stance, along with a larger head and shorter neck. The trunk evolved and grew longer to provide reach. The number of premolars, incisors, and canines decreased, and
7144-546: The Dai people in southern China. Elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), the African forest elephant ( L. cyclotis ), and the Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea ; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons . Distinctive features of elephants include
7296-809: The Early Pleistocene , all non-elephantid probobscidean genera outside of the Americas became extinct with the exception of Stegodon , with gomphotheres dispersing into South America as part of the Great American interchange , and mammoths migrating into North America around 1.5 million years ago. At the end of the Early Pleistocene, around 800,000 years ago the elephantid genus Palaeoloxodon dispersed outside of Africa, becoming widely distributed in Eurasia. Proboscideans were represented by around 23 species at
7448-762: The Etosha region of Namibia. Elephants go on seasonal migrations in response to changes in environmental conditions. In northern Botswana, they travel 325 km (202 mi) to the Chobe River after the local waterholes dry up in late August. Borneo elephant The Borneo elephant , also called the Bornean elephant or the Borneo pygmy elephant , is a subspecies of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) that inhabits northeastern Borneo , in Indonesia and Malaysia . Its origin remains
7600-505: The Government of India . The project was initiated to protect the Indian elephant and its habitats and to establish dedicated elephant reserves for sustaining elephant populations. The distribution of elephants in Sri Lanka is only two-fifths of what it was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to this decrease, interactions with humans occur much more frequently. During a 2003 survey,
7752-743: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade , as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially put on display in zoos, or employed for entertainment in circuses . Elephants have an iconic status in human culture and have been widely featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture. The word elephant
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#17328515029977904-746: The NGO Elephant Family , Myanmar is the main source of elephant skin, where a poaching crisis has developed rapidly since 2010. The elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is a member of the Proboscivirus genus, a novel clade most closely related to the mammalian betaherpesviruses . As of 2011, it is responsible for as many as 70 deaths of both zoo and wild Asian elephants worldwide, especially in young calves. In particular, several incidents of calves dying from elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus have been recorded in Myanmar. The elephant schistosome
8056-574: The Sultan of Sulu in 1750 by the East India Company and later set free in northern Borneo. In the 19th century, a zoological exploration established that wild elephants occurred naturally in a restricted region of northeastern Borneo. The status and taxonomic distinctiveness of the Borneo elephants has been controversial since then. In 1940, Frederick Nutter Chasen considered Bornean elephants as descendants of an introduced stock, and placed them in
8208-698: The Tabin Wildlife Reserve , in Lower Kinabatangan District and in the Deramakot Forest Reserve . An elephant population census was conducted in Sabah between July 2007 and December 2008, counting dung piles along 216 line transects in five main elephant managed ranges, covering a total distance of 186.12 km (115.65 mi). Results of this survey suggest an elephant population of 1,184–3,652 individuals inhabiting
8360-521: The Western Ghats , and were primarily threatened by poaching and habitat fragmentation. An increase in conflict with humans was also cited as a likely issue. Conservation plans aimed to establish wildlife corridors, stop poaching of bulls, and protect or manage land area. Project Elephant was initiated in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of
8512-405: The incisors , known as the tusks ; 12 deciduous premolars ; and 12 molars . Unlike most mammals, teeth are not replaced by new ones emerging from the jaws vertically. Instead, new teeth start at the back of the mouth and push out the old ones. The first chewing tooth on each side of the jaw falls out when the elephant is two to three years old. This is followed by four more tooth replacements at
8664-507: The matriarch . Males (bulls) leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate. They enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth , which helps them gain dominance over other males as well as reproductive success. Calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. Elephants can live up to 70 years in
8816-423: The pleural cavity . This may allow the animal to deal with the pressure differences when its body is underwater and its trunk is breaking the surface for air. Elephants breathe mostly with the trunk but also with the mouth. They have a hindgut fermentation system, and their large and small intestines together reach 35 m (115 ft) in length. Less than half of an elephant's food intake gets digested, despite
8968-487: The temporal gland , located on both sides of the head. This organ is associated with sexual behaviour, and males secrete a fluid from it when in musth . Females have also been observed with these secretions. Elephants are herbivorous and will eat leaves, twigs, fruit, bark, grass, and roots. African elephants mostly browse , while Asian elephants mainly graze . They can eat as much as 300 kg (660 lb) of food and drink 40 L (11 US gal) of water in
9120-432: The ventricles of the heart split towards the top, a trait also found in sirenians. When upright, the elephant's heart beats around 28 beats per minute and actually speeds up to 35 beats when it lies down. The blood vessels are thick and wide and can hold up under high blood pressure. The lungs are attached to the diaphragm , and breathing relies less on the expanding of the ribcage. Connective tissue exists in place of
9272-592: The "shovel tuskers" like Platybelodon ), choerolophodontids and stegodontids . Around 10 million years ago, the earliest members of the family Elephantidae emerged in Africa, having originated from gomphotheres. Elephantids are distinguished from earlier proboscideans by a major shift in the molar morphology to parallel lophs rather than the cusps of earlier proboscideans, allowing them to become higher-crowned (hypsodont) and more efficient in consuming grass. The Late Miocene saw major climactic changes, which resulted in
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#17328515029979424-451: The 1970s and 1980s, particularly in East Asia , led to rampant poaching and the serious decline of elephants in both Africa and Asia. In Thailand , the illegal trade in live elephants and ivory still flourishes. Although the amount of ivory being openly sold has decreased substantially since 2001, Thailand still has one of the largest and most active black markets for ivory seen anywhere in
9576-520: The African Eritherium and Phosphatherium are known from the late Paleocene . The Eocene included Numidotherium , Moeritherium , and Barytherium from Africa. These animals were relatively small and, some, like Moeritherium and Barytherium were probably amphibious. Later on, genera such as Phiomia and Palaeomastodon arose; the latter likely inhabited more forested areas. Proboscidean diversification changed little during
9728-601: The Asian elephant in 1940. These three subspecies are currently recognised as valid taxa . Results of phylogeographic and morphological analyses indicate that the Sri Lankan and Indian elephants are not distinct enough to warrant classification as separate subspecies. Three subspecies are recognised: Sri Lankan elephants are the largest subspecies. Their skin colour is darker than of E. m. indicus and of E. m. sumatranus with larger and more distinct patches of depigmentation on ears, face, trunk and belly. The skin color of
9880-490: The Asian elephant is one of the most feared wild animals, even though they are less deadly than other local animals such as venomous snakes (which were estimated to claim more than 30 times more lives in Sri Lanka than elephants). As a whole, Asian elephants display highly sophisticated and sometimes unpredictable behaviour. Most untamed elephants try to avoid humans, but if they are caught off guard by any perceived physical threat, including humans, they will likely charge. This
10032-655: The Asian elephant is the only living member, is the closest relative of the extinct mammoths . The two groups are estimated to have split from each other around 7 million years ago. Elephas originated in Sub-Saharan Africa during the Pliocene and spread throughout Africa before expanding into the southern half of Asia. The earliest Elephas species, Elephas ekorensis , is known from the Early Pliocene of East Africa, around 5–4.2 million years ago. The oldest remains of
10184-522: The Asian elephant is used as an ingredient in Chinese medicine as well as in the manufacture of ornamental beads. The practice has been aided by China's State Forestry Administration (SFA), which has issued licences for the manufacture and sale of pharmaceutical products containing elephant skin, thereby making trading legal. In 2010, four skinned elephants were found in a forest in Myanmar; 26 elephants were killed by poachers in 2013 and 61 in 2016. According to
10336-560: The Asian elephant today are the loss, degradation and fragmentation of its habitat, which leads to increasing conflicts between humans and elephants. Asian elephants are poached for ivory and a variety of other products including meat and leather . The demand for elephant skin has risen due to it being an increasingly-common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine. In some parts of Asia, people and elephants have co-existed for thousands of years. In other areas, people and elephants come into conflict, resulting in violence, and ultimately,
10488-537: The Asian mainland disappeared after the Last Glacial Maximum 18,000 years ago. Elephants were appropriate gifts from one ruler to another, or to a person of high standing, and it was customary to transport them by sea. In about 1395, the Raja of Java gave two elephants to the ruler Raja Baginda of Sulu . These animals were reputedly the founders of a feral population at the western end of Borneo. When in 1521
10640-519: The Borneo elephant population is derived from stock that originated in the region of the Sunda Islands , and suggests that the Borneo population has been separated from the other elephant populations of southeast Asia since the Pleistocene . The following Asian elephants were proposed as extinct subspecies, but are now considered synonymous with the Indian elephant: The genus Elephas , of which
10792-654: The Greek word to mean ivory , but after the time of Herodotus , it also referred to the animal. The word elephant appears in Middle English as olyfaunt ( c. 1300 ) and was borrowed from Old French oliphant (12th century). Orycteropodidae [REDACTED] Macroscelididae [REDACTED] Chrysochloridae [REDACTED] Tenrecidae [REDACTED] Procaviidae [REDACTED] Elephantidae [REDACTED] Dugongidae [REDACTED] Trichechidae [REDACTED] Elephants belong to
10944-537: The Indian elephant is generally grey and lighter than that of E. m. maximus but darker than that of E. m. sumatranus . A potential fourth subspecies, the Borneo elephant ( Elephas maximus borneensis ), occurs in Borneo 's northeastern parts, primarily in Sabah ( Malaysia ), and sometimes in Kalimantan ( Indonesia ). It was proposed by Paules Deraniyagala in 1950, who described an elephant in an illustration published in
11096-662: The Indian subcontinent. Skeletal remains of E. m. asurus have been recorded from the Middle East : Iran , Iraq , Syria , and Turkey from periods dating between at least 1800 BC and likely 700 BC. In general, the Asian elephant is smaller than the African bush elephant and has the highest body point on the head. The back is convex or level. The ears are small with dorsal borders folded laterally. It has up to 20 pairs of ribs and 34 caudal vertebrae . The feet have five nail-like structures on each forefoot, and four on each hind foot. The forehead has two hemispherical bulges, unlike
11248-729: The National Park has faced issues due to encroachment and over-exploitation. In India, the National Board of Wildlife recommended to allow coal mining in Dehing Patkai National Park in April 2020. The decision raised concerns between students and environmental activists who launched an online campaign to stop the project. About half of the global zoo elephant population is kept in European zoos, where they have less than half (18.9 years)
11400-651: The Oligocene. One notable species of this epoch was Eritreum melakeghebrekristosi of the Horn of Africa , which may have been an ancestor to several later species. early proboscideans, e.g. Moeritherium [REDACTED] Deinotheriidae [REDACTED] Mammutidae [REDACTED] Gomphotheriidae [REDACTED] Stegodontidae [REDACTED] Loxodonta [REDACTED] Palaeoloxodon [REDACTED] Mammuthus [REDACTED] Elephas [REDACTED] A major event in proboscidean evolution
11552-561: The Sultanate of Maguindanao , which also partly gives the reason why skeletal remains of small elephants are found in Mindanao , south Philippines. The Sultan of Sulu and his family shipped some of their prized Javan elephants to northeast Borneo due to lack of land and for the elephants to help in hauling logs out of the forest to create fast and long ships. When this lease was signed, most of these timid and largely domesticated small elephants under
11704-549: The Wildlife Conservation Enactment. Any person found guilty of hunting elephants is liable on conviction to a fine of $ RM 50,000 or five years imprisonment or both. The Oregon Zoo in Portland has the only Borneo elephant in the United States, a rescued female by the name of Chendra. She was found wandering alone near a palm oil plantation. She had wounds on her front legs and her left eye from gunshots. She
11856-401: The age of 12–15. Between the ages of 10 and 20 years, bulls undergo an annual phenomenon known as " musth ". This is a period where the testosterone level is up to 100 times greater than non-musth periods, and they become aggressive. Secretions containing pheromones occur during this period, from the paired temporal glands located on the head between the lateral edge of the eye and the base of
12008-425: The ages of four to six, 9–15, 18–28, and finally in their early 40s. The final (usually sixth) set must last the elephant the rest of its life. Elephant teeth have loop-shaped dental ridges, which are more diamond-shaped in African elephants. The tusks of an elephant are modified second incisors in the upper jaw. They replace deciduous milk teeth at 6–12 months of age and keep growing at about 17 cm (7 in)
12160-418: The annual home range for elephants is estimated to be around 600 km (230 sq mi). The pre-eminent threats to the Asian elephant today are habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, which are driven by an expanding human population , and lead in turn to increasing conflicts between humans and elephants when elephants eat or trample crops. Hundreds of people and elephants are killed annually as
12312-621: The beginning of the Late Pleistocene . Proboscideans underwent a dramatic decline during the Late Pleistocene as part of the Late Pleistocene extinctions of most large mammals globally, with all remaining non-elephantid proboscideans (including Stegodon , mastodons , and the American gomphotheres Cuvieronius and Notiomastodon ) and Palaeoloxodon becoming extinct, with mammoths only surviving in relict populations on islands around
12464-514: The breeding season, males will temporarily join female groups to mate. Asian elephants have a large and well-developed neocortex of the brain, are highly intelligent and self-aware being able to display behaviors associated grief, learning, greeting etc. The Asian elephant is the largest living land animal in Asia . Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List , as
12616-450: The calf's mother or by one of the exhibition mates. The sex ratio of stillbirths in Europe was found to have a tendency for excess of males. Young elephants are captured from the wild and illegally imported to Thailand from Myanmar for use in the tourism industry; calves are used mainly in amusement parks and are trained to perform various stunts for tourists. The calves are often subjected to
12768-453: The cheek teeth (molars and premolars) became longer and more specialised. The incisors developed into tusks of different shapes and sizes. Several species of proboscideans became isolated on islands and experienced insular dwarfism , some dramatically reducing in body size, such as the 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall dwarf elephant species Palaeoloxodon falconeri . Elephants are the largest living terrestrial animals. Some species of
12920-405: The debate was re-opened by a suggestion that the introduced Sulu elephants and the northeastern Borneo population might have descended from the now-extinct Javan elephant , which was named Elephas maximus sondaicus by Deraniyagala. This hypothesis is based on missing archaeological evidence of long-term elephant habitation in Borneo, a corroboration in folklore and that elephants have not colonized
13072-402: The decline and extinction of many proboscidean groups. The earliest members of the modern genera of Elephantidae appeared during the latest Miocene–early Pliocene around 5 million years ago. The elephantid genera Elephas (which includes the living Asian elephant) and Mammuthus (mammoths) migrated out of Africa during the late Pliocene, around 3.6 to 3.2 million years ago. Over the course of
13224-515: The displacement of elephants. The main causes of human-elephant conflict includes the growing human population, large-scale development projects and poor top-down governance . Proximate causes includes habitat loss due to deforestation , disruption of elephant migratory routes, expansion of agriculture and illegal encroachment into protected areas. Destruction of forests through logging , encroachment, slash-and-burn , shifting cultivation , and monoculture tree plantations are major threats to
13376-420: The ear is considerably thinner. Elephants are typically grey, but African elephants look brown or reddish after rolling in coloured mud. Asian elephants have some patches of depigmentation, particularly on the head. Calves have brownish or reddish hair, with the head and back being particularly hairy. As elephants mature, their hair darkens and becomes sparser, but dense concentrations of hair and bristles remain on
13528-400: The ear. The aggressive behaviors observed during musth can be attributed to varying amounts of frontalin (1,5-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane) throughout the maturation process of bulls. Frontalin is a pheromone that was first isolated in bark beetles but can also be produced in the bulls of both Asian and African Elephants. The compound can be excreted through urine as well as through
13680-627: The early records of royal elephants in Brunei and Banjarmasin , there was no tradition of capturing and taming local wild elephants in Borneo. The arrival of elephants in the northern Kalimantan region of Borneo coincides with the rule of the Sultans of Sulu over Sabah. The Sultanate of Sulu enjoyed peaceful ties with the Hindu Empire of Java. As a token of appreciation, the rulers of Java sent their elephants to Sulu, much as they had sent Javan elephants to
13832-516: The eastern Himalaya in northeast India, they regularly move up above 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in summer at a few sites. In Bangladesh , some isolated populations survived in the south-east Chittagong Hills in the early 1990s. In Malaysia 's northern Johor and Terengganu National Park, two Asian elephants tracked using satellite tracking technology spent most of their time in secondary or "logged-over forest"; they travelled 75% of their time in an area less than 1.5 km (0.93 mi) away from
13984-525: The elephant uses its trunk as a snorkel . The trunk also acts as a sense organ. Its sense of smell may be four times greater than a bloodhound 's nose. The infraorbital nerve , which makes the trunk sensitive to touch, is thicker than both the optic and auditory nerves. Whiskers grow all along the trunk, and are particularly packed at the tip, where they contribute to its tactile sensitivity. Unlike those of many mammals, such as cats and rats, elephant whiskers do not move independently ("whisk") to sense
14136-495: The employ of Sulu's shipbuilders and traders were released into the forests so they could live deep inside the jungle away from any feuding sultan who might use them for war. This single act of releasing the pachyderms to the wild made the Bolkiah family of Sulu and their allies the savior of what remaining elephants are left, old locals attest. In a study, they compared DNA and diversity to Asian elephant populations, and later came to
14288-418: The entire island of Borneo. In 2003, mitochondrial DNA analysis and microsatellite data indicated that the extant population is derived from Sundaic stock, but has undergone independent local evolution for some 300,000 years since a postulated Pleistocene colonization, and possibly became isolated from other Asian elephant populations when land bridges that linked Borneo with the other Sunda Islands and
14440-402: The environment; the trunk itself must move to bring the whiskers into contact with nearby objects. Whiskers grow in rows along each side on the ventral surface of the trunk, which is thought to be essential in helping elephants balance objects there, whereas they are more evenly arranged on the dorsal surface. The number and patterns of whiskers are distinctly different between species. Damaging
14592-410: The extinct elephant genus Palaeoloxodon considerably exceeded modern elephants in size making them among the largest land mammals ever. The skeleton is made up of 326–351 bones. The vertebrae are connected by tight joints, which limit the backbone's flexibility. African elephants have 21 pairs of ribs, while Asian elephants have 19 or 20 pairs. The skull contains air cavities ( sinuses ) that reduce
14744-585: The family Elephantidae , the sole remaining family within the order Proboscidea . Their closest extant relatives are the sirenians ( dugongs and manatees ) and the hyraxes , with which they share the clade Paenungulata within the superorder Afrotheria . Elephants and sirenians are further grouped in the clade Tethytheria . Three species of living elephants are recognised; the African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), forest elephant ( Loxodonta cyclotis ), and Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ). African elephants were traditionally considered
14896-495: The flat front of the African elephants. Its long trunk or proboscis has only one fingerlike tip, in contrast to the African elephants which have two. Hence, the Asian species relies more on wrapping around a food item and squeezing it into its mouth, rather than grasping with the tip. Asian elephants have more muscle coordination and can perform more complex tasks. Cows usually lack tusks ; if tusks—in that case, called "tushes"—are present, they are barely visible and only seen when
15048-519: The front and hind limbs can support an elephant's weight, although 60% is borne by the front. The position of the limbs and leg bones allows an elephant to stand still for extended periods of time without tiring. Elephants are incapable of turning their manus as the ulna and radius of the front legs are secured in pronation . Elephants may also lack the pronator quadratus and pronator teres muscles or have very small ones. The circular feet of an elephant have soft tissues, or "cushion pads" beneath
15200-516: The genus in Asia are known from the Siwalik Hills in the Indian subcontinent, dating to the late Pliocene, around 3.6-3.2 million years ago, assigned to the species Elephas planifrons . The modern Asian elephant is suggested to have evolved from the species Elephas hysudricus , which first appeared at the beginning of the Early Pleistocene around 2.6 million years ago, and is primarily known from remains of Early- Middle Pleistocene age found on
15352-415: The global wild population was estimated at 48,323–51,680 individuals. Asian elephants are crepuscular . They are classified as megaherbivores and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. Around 50 to 75% of the day is devoted to eating. They are generalist feeders, and are both grazers and browsers . They are known to feed on at least 112 different plant species, most commonly of
15504-428: The growls of larger predators like tigers and smaller predators like leopards ; they react to leopards less fearfully and more aggressively. Reproduction in Asian elephants can be attributed to the production and perception of signaling compounds called pheromones . These signals are transmitted through various bodily fluids. They are commonly released in urine but in males they are also found in special secretions from
15656-516: The highest density of elephants with 3.69 elephants per 1 km (0.39 sq mi). Only the unprotected central forest area supported an elephant population of more than 1,000 individuals. In 2005, five female elephants were fitted with tracking devices to study their home range and movement patterns in Sabah. Results suggest that elephant herds occupied a minimum home range from 250 to 400 km (97 to 154 sq mi) in non-fragmented forest, while in fragmented forest habitat,
15808-469: The increase in frontalin during musth heightens their sensitivity to the (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate produced by female elephants. Once perceived by receptors in the trunk, a sequence of ritualistic behaviors follow. The responses in males vary based on both the stage of development and the temperament of the elephant. This process of receiving and processing signals through the trunk is referred to as flehmen. The difference in body movements give cues to gauge if
15960-542: The largest ear flaps. The ossicles are adapted for hearing low frequencies, being most sensitive at 1 kHz . Lacking a lacrimal apparatus (tear duct), the eye relies on the harderian gland in the orbit to keep it moist. A durable nictitating membrane shields the globe. The animal's field of vision is compromised by the location and limited mobility of the eyes. Elephants are dichromats and they can see well in dim light but not in bright light. The elongated and prehensile trunk, or proboscis , consists of both
16112-402: The largest recorded was 302 cm (9 ft 11 in) long and weighed 39 kg (86 lb). Hunting for elephant ivory in Africa and Asia has resulted in an effective selection pressure for shorter tusks and tusklessness. An elephant's skin is generally very tough, at 2.5 cm (1 in) thick on the back and parts of the head. The skin around the mouth, anus , and inside of
16264-421: The latter case, when an elephant bounces the tip of the trunk, it creates booms which serve as threat displays. Elephants can distinguish low-amplitude sounds. Rarely, tigers have been recorded attacking and killing calves, especially if the calves become separated from their mothers, stranded from their herd, or orphaned. Adults are largely invulnerable to natural predation. There is a singular anecdotal case of
16416-442: The leadership of older adult females, or matriarchs . It is now recognized that cows form extensive and very fluid social networks, with varying degrees of associations between individuals. Social ties generally tend to be weaker than in African bush elephants. Unlike African elephants, which rarely use their forefeet for anything other than digging or scraping soil, Asian elephants are more agile at using their feet in conjunction with
16568-464: The local people expressed some form of disapproval towards the conservation of Asian elephants as farmers viewed them as pests, however, most of the participants were supportive of the idea. In China, Asian elephants are under first-level protection. Yunnan province has 11 national and regional nature reserves. In total, the covered protected area in China is about 510,000 ha (1,300,000 acres). In 2020,
16720-449: The male is interested in breeding with the female that produced the secretion. A bull that is ready to breed will move closer to the urine and in some cases an erection response is elicited. A bull that is not ready to breed will be timid and try to dissociate themselves from the signal. In addition to reproductive communication, chemosensory signaling is used to facilitate same-sex interactions. When less developed males detect pheromones from
16872-449: The manus or pes , which allow them to bear the animal's great mass. They appear to have a sesamoid , an extra "toe" similar in placement to a giant panda 's extra "thumb", that also helps in weight distribution. As many as five toenails can be found on both the front and hind feet. Elephants can move both forward and backward, but are incapable of trotting , jumping , or galloping . They can move on land only by walking or ambling :
17024-459: The median life span of conspecifics (41.6 years) in protected populations in range countries. This discrepancy is clearest in Asian elephants: infant mortality is more than two to three times that seen in Burmese timber camps, and adult survivorship in zoos has not improved significantly in recent years. One risk factor for Asian zoo elephants is being moved between institutions, with early removal from
17176-425: The middle with a thinner tip and supported by a thicker base. They contain numerous blood vessels called capillaries . Warm blood flows into the capillaries, releasing excess heat into the environment. This effect is increased by flapping the ears back and forth. Larger ear surfaces contain more capillaries, and more heat can be released. Of all the elephants, African bush elephants live in the hottest climates and have
17328-755: The mother tending to have additional adverse effects. Another risk factor is being born into a zoo rather than being imported from the wild, with poor adult survivorship in zoo-born Asians apparently being conferred prenatally or in early infancy. Likely causes for compromised survivorship is stress and/or obesity . Foot problems are commonly observed in captive elephants. These are related to lack of exercise, long hours standing on hard substrates, and contamination resulting from standing in their dung. Many of these problems are treatable. However, mistreatment may lead to serious disability or death. Demographic analysis of captive Asian elephants in North America indicates that
17480-516: The mouth is open. The enamel plates of the molars are greater in number and closer together in Asian elephants. Some bulls may also lack tusks; these individuals are called "makhnas", and are especially common among the Sri Lankan elephant population. A tusk from an 11 ft (3.4 m) tall elephant killed by Sir Victor Brooke measured 8 ft (2.4 m) in length, and nearly 17 in (43 cm) in circumference, and weighed 90 lb (41 kg). This tusk's weight is, however, exceeded by
17632-413: The nose and upper lip, which fuse in early fetal development. This versatile appendage contains up to 150,000 separate muscle fascicles , with no bone and little fat. These paired muscles consist of two major types: superficial (surface) and internal. The former are divided into dorsal, ventral , and lateral muscles, while the latter are divided into transverse and radiating muscles. The muscles of
17784-1010: The order Malvales , as well as the legume , palm , sedge and true grass families. They browse more in the dry season with bark constituting a major part of their diet in the cool part of that season. They drink at least once a day and are never far from a permanent source of fresh water. They need 80–200 litres of water a day and use even more for bathing. At times, they scrape the soil for clay or minerals. Cows and calves move about together as groups, while bulls disperse from their mothers upon reaching adolescence. Bulls are solitary or form temporary "bachelor groups". Cow-calf units generally tend to be small, typically consisting of three adults (most likely related females) and their offspring. Larger groups of as many as 15 adult females have also been recorded. Seasonal aggregations of 17 individuals including calves and young adults have been observed in Sri Lanka's Uda Walawe National Park . Until recently, Asian elephants, like African elephants, were thought to be under
17936-405: The other inhabited the hilly interior at about 300 to 1,500 m (980 to 4,920 ft) altitude in dipterocarp forest, which was largely undisturbed at the time and only logged at its periphery. In Kalimantan , their range is restricted to a small contiguous area of the upper Sembakung River in the east. The range of wild elephants in Sabah and Kalimantan seems to have expanded very little in
18088-417: The past 100 years despite access to suitable habitat elsewhere on Borneo. Borneo's soil tends to be young, leached , and infertile, and there is speculation that the distribution of wild elephants on the island may be limited by the occurrence of natural mineral sources. In 1992, the estimated elephant population size in Sabah ranged from 500 to 2,000 individuals, based on survey work conducted in
18240-469: The past. Generation length of the Asian elephant is 22 years. Asian elephants have a very large and highly developed neocortex , a trait also shared by humans , apes and certain dolphin species. They have a greater volume of cerebral cortex available for cognitive processing than all other existing land animals. Results of studies indicate that Asian elephants have cognitive abilities for tool use and tool-making similar to great apes . They exhibit
18392-414: The population has declined by at least 50 per cent over the last three elephant generations, which is about 60–75 years. It is primarily threatened by loss of habitat , habitat degradation , fragmentation and poaching . Wild Asian elephants live to be about 60 years old. While female captive elephants are recorded to have lived beyond 60 years when kept in semi-natural surroundings, Asian elephants die at
18544-453: The population is not self-sustaining. First year mortality is nearly 30 per cent, and fecundity is extremely low throughout the prime reproductive years. Data from North American and European regional studbooks from 1962 to 2006 were analysed for deviations in the birth and juvenile death sex ratios. Of 349 captive calves born, 142 died prematurely. They died within one month of birth, major causes being stillbirth and infanticide by either
18696-522: The population of Asian elephants in Yunnan was estimated at around 300 individuals. As conflicts between humans and wild elephants have emerged around protected areas in the last years, the prefecture of Xishuangbanna built food bases and planted bananas and bamboo to create a better habitat. In Thailand, Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary and Tham Than Lot National Park are protected areas hosting around 250–300 elephants, according to figures from 2013. In recent years
18848-423: The process lasting a day. An elephant's bladder can store up to 18 litres of urine and its kidneys can produce more than 50 litres of urine per day. A male elephant's testes, like other Afrotheria , are internally located near the kidneys. The penis can be as long as 100 cm (39 in) with a 16 cm (6 in) wide base. It curves to an 'S' when fully erect and has an orifice shaped like
19000-406: The ranges of Tabin, Lower Kinabatangan, North Kinabatangan, Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserve and the central forest of Sabah. The elephant density and population size varied throughout the five key ranges affected by (i) conversion of lowland forest, (ii) fragmentation of habitat, and (iii) existing land use activities such as logging . The upper catchment of Ulu Segama Forest Reserve had
19152-489: The remnants of Ferdinand Magellan 's circumnavigation of the Earth reached Brunei , the chronicler of the voyage recounted that the delegation from the flagship Victoria was conveyed to and from the ruler's palace on elephants caparisoned in silk. This custom had been discontinued by the time later visitors arrived in Brunei in the 1770s, who reported wild-living elephant herds that were hunted by local people after harvest. Despite
19304-493: The right. Elephant trunks are capable of powerful siphoning. They can expand their nostrils by 30%, leading to a 64% greater nasal volume, and can breathe in almost 30 times faster than a human sneeze, at over 150 m/s (490 ft/s). They suck up water, which is squirted into the mouth or over the body. The trunk of an adult Asian elephant is capable of retaining 8.5 L (2.2 US gal) of water. They will also sprinkle dust or grass on themselves. When underwater,
19456-403: The shoulder and 4.0 t (4.4 short tons) in weight, while cows are smaller at about 2.40 m (7.9 ft) at the shoulder and 2.7 t (3.0 short tons) in weight. Sexual dimorphism in body size is relatively less pronounced in Asian elephants than in African bush elephants; with bulls averaging 15% and 23% taller in the former and latter respectively. Length of body and head including trunk
19608-401: The skin may reduce dehydration and allow for increased thermal regulation in the long term. To support the animal's weight, an elephant's limbs are positioned more vertically under the body than in most other mammals. The long bones of the limbs have cancellous bones in place of medullary cavities . This strengthens the bones while still allowing haematopoiesis (blood cell creation). Both
19760-560: The skull of a fully adult female elephant from Gomantong Forest Reserve were slightly smaller (72–90%) than comparable dimensions averaged for two Sumatran skulls. Few available measurements show that they are of similar size to other populations of the Sunda subregion. Morphological measurements of fifteen captive elephants from Peninsular Malaysia and of six elephants from Sabah were taken between April 2005 and January 2006, and repeated three times for each elephant and averaged. There
19912-456: The skull, which serve as protection. Because of the size of the head, the neck is relatively short to provide better support. Elephants are homeotherms and maintain their average body temperature at ~ 36 °C (97 °F), with a minimum of 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) during the cool season, and a maximum of 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) during the hot dry season. Elephant ear flaps, or pinnae , are 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) thick in
20064-472: The subject of debate. A definitive subspecific classification as Elephas maximus borneensis awaits a detailed range-wide morphometric and genetic study. In 2024, the Borneo elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years. It is pre-eminently threatened by loss , degradation and fragmentation of habitat. The Sultan of Sulu
20216-551: The subspecies Elephas maximus indicus . Reginald Innes Pocock having studied specimens in the British Museum of Natural History disagreed in 1943, and placed all Sundaic elephants in the subspecies Elephas maximus sumatrensis . In 1950, Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala described a subspecies Elephas maximus borneensis , taking as his type an illustration in the National Geographical Magazine. In 2003,
20368-510: The survival of elephants. Human–elephant conflicts occur when elephants raid crops of shifting cultivators in fields, which are scattered over a large area interspersed with forests. Depredation in human settlements is another major area of human–elephant conflict occurring in small forest pockets, encroachments into elephant habitat, and on elephant migration routes. However, studies in Sri Lanka indicate that traditional slash-and-burn agriculture may create optimal habitats for elephants by creating
20520-598: The temporal glands of the bull, allowing signaling to occur. During musth, increased concentrations of frontalin in the bull's urine communicate the reproductive status of the bull to female elephants. Similar to other mammals, hormone secretion in female elephants is regulated by an estrous cycle . This cycle is regulated by surges in Luteinizing hormone that are observed three weeks from each other. This type of estrous cycle has also been observed in African Elephants but
20672-427: The temporal glands. Once integrated and perceived, these signals provide the receiver with information about the reproductive status of the sender. If both parties are ready to breed, reproductive ritualic behavior occurs and the process of sexual reproduction proceeds. Bulls will fight one another to get access to oestrus cows. Strong fights over access to females are extremely rare. Bulls reach sexual maturity around
20824-472: The tip of the tail and parts of the head and genitals. Normally, the skin of an Asian elephant is covered with more hair than its African counterpart. Their hair is thought to help them lose heat in their hot environments. Although tough, an elephant's skin is very sensitive and requires mud baths to maintain moisture and protection from burning and insect bites. After bathing, the elephant will usually use its trunk to blow dust onto its body, which dries into
20976-514: The trunk connect to a bony opening in the skull. The nasal septum consists of small elastic muscles between the nostrils, which are divided by cartilage at the base. A unique proboscis nerve – a combination of the maxillary and facial nerves – lines each side of the appendage. As a muscular hydrostat , the trunk moves through finely controlled muscle contractions, working both with and against each other. Using three basic movements: bending, twisting, and longitudinal stretching or retracting,
21128-776: The trunk for manipulating objects. They can sometimes be known for their violent behavior. Asian elephants are recorded to make three basic sounds: growls, squeaks and snorts. Growls in their basic form are used for short distance communication. During mild arousal, growls resonate in the trunk and become rumbles while for long-distance communication, they escalate into roars. Low-frequency growls are infrasonic and made in many contexts. Squeaks come in two forms: chirpings and trumpets. Chirping consists of multiple short squeaks and signals conflict and nervousness. Trumpets are lengthened squeaks with increased loudness and are produced during extreme arousal. Snorts signal changes in activity and increase in loudness during mild or strong arousal. During
21280-422: The trunk has near unlimited flexibility. Objects grasped by the end of the trunk can be moved to the mouth by curving the appendage inward. The trunk can also bend at different points by creating stiffened "pseudo-joints". The tip can be moved in a way similar to the human hand. The skin is more elastic on the dorsal side of the elephant trunk than underneath; allowing the animal to stretch and coil while maintaining
21432-508: The trunk would be detrimental to an elephant's survival, although in rare cases, individuals have survived with shortened ones. One trunkless elephant has been observed to graze using its lips with its hind legs in the air and balancing on its front knees. Floppy trunk syndrome is a condition of trunk paralysis recorded in African bush elephants and involves the degeneration of the peripheral nerves and muscles. The disorder has been linked to lead poisoning. Elephants usually have 26 teeth:
21584-540: The trunk, ears, or neck. The epidermis and dermis of the body average 18 mm (0.71 in) thick; skin on the dorsum is 30 mm (1.2 in) thick providing protection against bites, bumps, and adverse weather. Its folds increase surface area for heat dissipation. They can tolerate cold better than excessive heat. Skin temperature varies from 24 to 32.9 °C (75.2 to 91.2 °F). Body temperature averages 35.9 °C (96.6 °F). On average, when fully-grown, bulls are about 2.75 m (9.0 ft) tall at
21736-433: The tusk contains the pulp , and some have nerves that stretch even further. Thus, it would be difficult to remove it without harming the animal. When removed, ivory will dry up and crack if not kept cool and wet. Tusks function in digging, debarking, marking, moving objects, and fighting. Elephants are usually right- or left-tusked, similar to humans, who are typically right- or left-handed . The dominant, or "master" tusk,
21888-418: The weight of a shorter tusk of about 6 ft (1.8 m) in length which weighed 100 lb (45 kg), and there have reportedly been tusks weighing over 150 lb (68 kg). Skin colour is usually grey, and may be masked by soil because of dusting and wallowing . Their wrinkled skin is movable and contains many nerve centres. It is smoother than that of African elephants and may be depigmented on
22040-419: The weight of the skull while maintaining overall strength. These cavities give the inside of the skull a honeycomb -like appearance. By contrast, the lower jaw is dense. The cranium is particularly large and provides enough room for the attachment of muscles to support the entire head. The skull is built to withstand great stress, particularly when fighting or using the tusks. The brain is surrounded by arches in
22192-432: The west, to Borneo in the east, and Nepal in the north, to Sumatra in the south. They inhabit grasslands, tropical evergreen forests , semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests , dry deciduous forests and dry thorn forests, in addition to cultivated and secondary forests and scrublands. Over this range of habitat types elephants occur from sea level to over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). In
22344-463: The wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans . They appear to have self-awareness , and possibly show concern for dying and dead individuals of their kind. African bush elephants and Asian elephants are listed as endangered and African forest elephants as critically endangered by
22496-554: The world. Tusks from Thai-poached elephants also enter the market; between 1992 and 1997 at least 24 male elephants were killed for their tusks. Up to the early 1990s, Vietnamese ivory craftsmen used exclusively Asian elephant ivory from Vietnam and neighbouring Lao and Cambodia. Before 1990, there were few tourists and the low demand for worked ivory could be supplied by domestic elephants. Economic liberalisation and an increase in tourism raised both local and visitors' demands for worked ivory, which resulted in heavy poaching. The skin of
22648-476: Was no significant difference in any of the characters between the two captive populations. They are also remarkably tame and passive, another reason some scientists think they descended from a domestic collection. Elephants are confined to the northern and northeastern parts of Borneo. In the 1980s, there were two distinct populations: One lived in Sabah , ranging over the Tabin Wildlife Reserve and adjacent mostly logged dipterocarp forest on steep terrain;
22800-650: Was the collision of Afro-Arabia with Eurasia, during the Early Miocene, around 18–19 million years ago, allowing proboscideans to disperse from their African homeland across Eurasia and later, around 16–15 million years ago into North America across the Bering Land Bridge . Proboscidean groups prominent during the Miocene include the deinotheres , along with the more advanced elephantimorphs , including mammutids (mastodons), gomphotheres , amebelodontids (which includes
22952-482: Was thought to have introduced captive elephants to Borneo in the 18th century, which were released into the jungle. Comparison of the Borneo elephant population to putative source populations in DNA analysis indicates that the Borneo elephants more likely derived from Sundaic stock and are indigenous to Borneo, rather than having been introduced by humans. The genetic divergence of Borneo elephants warrants their recognition as
23104-548: Was ultimately left blind in that eye. Malaysian wildlife officials worked to find her a home, and she was brought to the Oregon Zoo on November 20, 1999. In 2016, a rescued Borneo elephant in a Japanese zoo caught tuberculosis . Although the elephant later recovered, conservationists still do not know how the elephant was infected. Research on the matter is ongoing. It has not been resolved whether Borneo elephants are indigenous or have descended from captive elephants presented to
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