Asian Elephant

Facts about Asian Elephant, "Asian elephants scientific name is Elephas maximus". The Asian elephants belongs to the Elephas genus of the Elephantidae family. The Asian Elephants are native to Sub-Saharan Africa, and they are the only existing elephant variety of the Elephas genus. They are largely found in Southeast Asia, ranging from the western parts of India to the eastern parts of Borneo. The Asian Elephant variety is considered an endangered species and they are chiefly threatened by poaching, fragmentation, and loss of home. Female captive Asian elephants have survived more than 60 years when developed in semi-natural environs, such as woodland camps. In zoos, the Asian Elephants expire at a much younger age and are waning because of a high death and low birth rate.

Features of Asian Elephant

An adult male Asian Elephant is bigger than its female counterpart, with the maximum body height of 9 feet (2.7 m), whereas the female Asian Elephant have the maximum body height of 8 feet (2.4 m). The Asian Elephants have a maximum body mass of 3.00 short tons (2.72 tons). They have a body length including the trunk that ranges from 18 feet to 21 feet (5.5 m to 6.5 m), with a tail of length between 3feet 9 inches and 4 feet 9 inches feet (1.2 m and 1.5 m). Some Asian elephant varieties are as tall as 12 feet (3.7 m).

Generally, the Asian elephant has a smaller body when compared to other varieties in its family, and it has the highest body point on its head. The back part of the body of the Asian Elephant is level or convex, and it has smaller ears, with dorsal margins, folded laterally. The Asian Elephant has 34 caudal vertebrae and a maximum of 20 pairs of ribs. Their feet have nail-like structures, with five on each front foot, and four on each back foot.

The distinct trunk of the Asian elephant is a combination of an elongation of the snout and upper lips. The nostrils are at the tip that has a finger-like process. The trunk of the Asian Elephant contains 60,000 muscles, which is composed of longitudinal and glowing sets. Mostly, the longitudinals are further divided into lateral, anterior, and posterior. The Asian Elephant trunk is a versatile prehensile organ and highly responsive, innervated by the maxillary separation of the trigeminal nerve and by means of the facial nerve.

The Asian elephant has a multipurpose trunk, which is employed in digging for water, rocks, salt, debarking trees. The Asian Elephants exercise their trunks for watering, breathing, feeding, dusting, touching, washing, sound production and communication, grasping, pinching, offense and defense. The trunk of the Asian Elephants can hold a maximum capacity of 4 liters of water. They will fight with each other playfully, using their trunks, but they normally exercise their trunks only for gesturing while fighting. It is also used as levers for manipulation of the descended trees and branches, for labor, for exhibit and for marking trees. The trunk is also used as a weapon during defense and offense.

Diet of Asian Elephant

The Asian elephant is a crepuscular animal, and it feeds on plant matter. They are categorized as megaherbivores and they use to consume a maximum of 330 pounds (150 kg) of plant matter per day.

Behavior of Asian Elephant

The Asian elephant is a self-aware and a highly clever animal. The Asian Elephant have a highly convoluted and very large neocortex, and they have the maximum volume of cerebral cortex accessible for cognitive processing of all existing ground animals. They show an extensive variety of behaviors, as well as those connected with sorrow, learning, mimicry, allomothering, altruism, play, compassion, collaboration, self-consciousness, reminiscence, language and use of tools,. The Asian Elephant go to a safer ground during natural calamities, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

Usually, the Asian elephant prefers to live in homes in grasslands, semi-evergreen forests, tropical evergreen forests, damp deciduous forests, dry thorn forests and dry deciduous forests, including cultivated and secondary woodlands and scrublands.

The average lifespan of the Asian elephant is 44.8 years in the wild, whereas in the captive, they will live for 60 years to 70 years. "Fear of Elephants Pachydermophobia".