Asian Elephant 379035 222536899 2008-06-29T21:43:06Z Gail 7214503 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/76.97.55.128|76.97.55.128]] to last version by Chobot (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{Taxobox | name = Asian Elephant<ref name=MSW>{{MSW3 Shoshani|pages=90}}</ref> | status = EN | status_system = iucn2.3 | status_ref = <ref>{{IUCN2006|assessors=Asian Elephant Specialist Group|year=1996|id=7140|title=Elephas maximus|downloaded=10 May 2006}} Listed as Endangered (EN A1cd v2.3) </ref> | image = Asian elephant - melbourne zoo.jpg | image2 = ElephantSkelLyd2.png | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | ordo = [[Proboscidea]] | familia = [[Elephantidae]] | genus = ''[[Elephas]]'' | species = '''''E. maximus''''' | binomial = ''Elephas maximus'' | binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758 | range_map = Elphas_maximus_range.png | range_map_caption = Asian Elephant range }} The '''Asian''' or '''Asiatic Elephant''' (''Elephas maximus''), sometimes known by the name of one of its subspecies &ndash; the '''[[Indian Elephant]]''', is one of the three living [[species]] of [[elephant]], and the only living species of the genus ''[[Elephas]]''. It is the largest living land animal in [[Asia]]. The species is found primarily in large parts of [[Bangladesh]], [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Indochina]] and parts of [[Indonesia]]. It is considered [[endangered species|endangered]], with between 25,600 and 32,750 left in the wild.<ref>[http://assets.panda.org/downloads/asian_elephant_factsheet2006.pdf World Wildlife Fund factsheet]</ref> This animal is widely [[Domestication|domesticated]], and has been used in [[forestry]] in [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]] for centuries and also in [[Ceremony|ceremonial]] purposes. Historical sources indicate that they were sometimes used during the harvest season primarily for milling. Wild elephants attract [[Tourism|tourist]] money to the areas where they can most readily be seen, but damage [[Crop (agriculture)|crops]], and may enter villages to raid gardens. ==Description== The Asian elephant is smaller than its [[African elephant|African]] relatives; the easiest way to distinguish the two is that the Asian elephant has smaller [[ear]]s. The Asian Elephant tends to grow to around two to four [[metre|meter]]s (7–12 [[foot (unit of length)|feet]]) in height and 3,000–5,000 [[kilogram]]s (6,500–11,000 [[pound (mass)|pounds]]) in weight. The Asian Elephant has other differences from its African relatives, including a more arched back than the African, one semi-prehensile "finger" at the tip of its trunk as opposed to two, four nails on each hind foot instead of three, and 19 pairs of ribs instead of 21. Also, unlike the African elephant, the female Asian Elephant usually lacks [[tusk]]s; if tusks — in that case called "tushes" — are present, they are barely visible, and only seen when the female opens her mouth. The [[Tooth enamel|enamel plates]] of the [[molars]] are greater in number and closer together in Asian elephants. <ref name="Domestic">{{cite book | author = Clutton-Brock, Juliet| title = A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals | year = 1987 | pages = pp.208 | id = ISBN 0521346975}}</ref> Some males may also lack tusks; these individuals are called "makhnas", and are especially common among the Sri Lankan elephant population. Furthermore, the forehead has two hemispherical bulges, unlike the flat front of the African elephant. Unlike African elephants which rarely use their forefeet for anything other than digging or scrapig soil, Asian elephants are more agile at using their feet in conjunction with the trunk for manipulating objects.<ref name="Domestic" /> ===Size=== [[Image:Thrippunithura-Elephant-end-of-pooram-2 crop.jpg|thumb|right|Caparisoned elephants during ''[[Sree Poornathrayesa temple]]'' festival, [[Kerala]], [[south India]].]] The sizes of elephants in the wild have been exaggerated in the past. However, record elephants may have measured as high as 12 feet at the shoulder. Height is often estimated using the [[rule of thumb]] of twice the forefoot circumference.<ref name=lydekker>{{cite book | author = Lydekker, R. | year = 1894 | title = The Royal Natural History. Volume 2}}</ref> {{quote|The height of the adult male does not exceed nine feet, and that of the female eight feet; but these dimensions are occasionally considerably exceeded. [[George P. Sanderson]] measured a male standing nine feet seven inches at the shoulder, and measuring twenty-six feet two and one-half inches from the tip of the trunk to the extremity of the tail; and he records others respectively reaching nine feet eight inches and nine feet ten inches at the shoulder. An elephant shot by General Kinloch stood upward of ten feet one inch; and another measured by Sanderson ten feet seven and one-half inches. These dimensions are, however, exceeded by a specimen killed by the late Sir Victor Brooke, which is reported to have reached a height of eleven feet: and there is a rumor of a Ceylon elephant of twelve feet. That such giants may occasionally exist is indicated by a skeleton in the Museum at Calcutta, which is believed to have belonged to an individual living between 1856 and 1860 in the neighborhood of the Rajamahal hills, in Bengal. As now mounted this enormous skeleton stands eleven feet three inches at the shoulders, but Mr. O. S. Fraser, in a letter to the Asian newspaper, states that it is made to stand too low, and that its true height was several inches more. If this be so, there can be no doubt that, when alive, this elephant must have stood fully twelve feet.|Lydekker, 1894 <ref name=lydekker/>}} A record tusk described by George P. Sanderson measured five feet along the curve, with a girth of sixteen inches at the point of emergence from the jaw, the weight being one hundred and four and one-half pounds. This was from an elephant killed by Sir V. Brooke and measured eight feet in length, and nearly seventeen inches in circumference, and weighed ninety pounds. This tusk's weight is, however, exceeded by [the weight of] a shorter tusk of about six feet in length which weighed one hundred pounds.<ref name=lydekker/> The heaviest wild male recorded was shot by the [[Maharajah]] of Susang in the Garo Hills of [[Assam]], [[India]] in 1924, and was 8 tonnes (8.8 short tons), 3.35 m (11.1 ft) tall and 8.06 m (26.6 ft) long.<ref>Wood, The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. Sterling Pub Co Inc (1983), ISBN 978-0851122359</ref> <!-- Wait, how many tusks are being described here? Three? Tusk A was 5 ft long, 16 inch circumference, 104.5 lbs; Tusk B was 8 ft long, 17 inch circumference, 90 lbs; Tusk C was 6 ft long, 100 lbs? This is awkwardly written, and if it wasn't a direct quote I'd remake the whole paragraph. --> [[Image:Oregon Zoo elephant pair closeup.jpg|thumb|left|Asian elephants, such as this pair at the [[Oregon Zoo]], are highly social animals that form close bonds between individuals]] ==Behaviour== In the wild, elephant herds 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 elephant to remember and follow the traditional migration routes. When human farms are founded along these old routes there is often considerable damage done to crops, and it is common for elephants to be killed in the ensuing conflicts. [[Image:Indianelephantherdcrop.JPG|right|A herd of wild [[Indian elephants]] in the [[Jim Corbett National Park]], [[India]]|thumb]] Elephants [[life span]]s have been exaggerated in the past and live on average for 60 years in the wild and 80 in captivity.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Elephas maximus|first=Jeheskel|last=Shoshani|coauthors=John F. Eisenberg|journal=Mammalian Species|volume=182|year=1982|pages=1–8|doi=10.2307/3504045}}</ref> They eat 10% of their body weight each day, which for adults is between 170-200 kilograms of food per day. They need 80–200 litres of water a day, and use more for bathing. They sometimes scrape the soil for [[minerals]]. Elephants use [[infrasound]] to communicate; this was first noted by the Indian naturalist [[M. Krishnan]] and later studied by Katherine Payne.<ref>{{cite book | last = Payne | first = Katherine | year = 1998 | title = Silent Thunder | publisher = Simon & Schuster | id = ISBN 0-684-80108-6}}</ref> ===Female behavior=== 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 of age. The [[gestation period]] is 18–22 months, and the female gives birth to one [[calf]], or occasionally [[twin]]s. The calf is fully developed by the 19th month but stays in the [[Uterus|womb]] to grow so that it can reach its mother to feed. At birth, the calf weighs about 100 kg (220 lb), and is [[Lactation|suckled]] for up to 2–3 years. Females stay on with the herd, but mature males are chased away. Females produce 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.<ref>Rasmussen, L. E. L., Lee, T. D., Zhang, A. J., Roelofs, W. L. & Daves, G. D. (1997). Purification, identification, concentration and bioactivity of (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate: sex pheromone of the female Asian elephant, ''Elephas maximus''. Chemical Senses, 22, 417–437.</ref><ref>Rasmussen, L. E. L., Lee, T. D., Roelofs, W. L., Zhang, A. J. & Daves, G. D. (1996). Insect pheromone in elephants. Nature, 379, 684.</ref> ===Male behavior=== Bull elephants are usually solitary, and 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 == [[Image:Mahout1 crop.jpg|right|thumb|[[Mahout]]s washing an elephant, [[Thrissur]], [[Kerala]]]] At most seasons of the year the Indian elephant is a timid animal, much more ready to flee from a foe than to make an attack. Solitary ''[[rogue elephant|rogues]]'' are, however, frequently an exception to this rule, and sometimes make unprovoked attacks on passers-by. Rogue elephant sometimes take up a position near a road, and make it impassable to travellers. Females with calves are at all times dangerous to approach. Contrary to what is stated to be the case with the African species, when an Indian elephant makes a charge, it does so with its trunk tightly curled up, and it makes its attack by trampling its victim with its feet or knees, or, if a male, by pinning it to the ground with its tusks. During ''musth'' the male elephant is highly dangerous, not only to human beings, but to its fellow animals. At the first indications of this, domestic elephants are secured tightly to prevent any mishaps;<ref name=lydekker/> [[xylazine]] is also used. [[Image:Borneo-elephant-PLoS Biology.jpg|thumb|The Borneo elephant is smaller with relatively larger ears, a longer tail, and straighter tusks. It is also smaller than other subspecies of the Asian elephant.]] While elephant charges are often displays of aggression that do not go beyond threats, some elephants, such as rogues, may actually attack. <blockquote> In regard to movement on land, Mr. [[George P. Sanderson|Sanderson]] says that "the only pace of the elephant is the walk, capable of being increased to a fast shuffle of about fifteen miles an hour for very short distances. It can neither trot, canter, nor gallop. It does not move with the legs on the same side together, but nearly so. A very good runner might keep out of an elephant's way on a smooth piece of turf, but on the ground in which they are generally met with, any attempt to escape by flight, unless supplemented by concealment, would be unavailing."<br/> When an elephant does charge, it requires all the coolness and presence of mind of the sportsman to avoid a catastrophe- "A grander animated object," writes Mr. Sanderson, "than a wild elephant in full charge can hardly be imagined. The cocked ears and broad forehead present an immense frontage; the head is held high, with the trunk curled between the tusks, to be uncoiled in the moment of attack; the massive fore-legs come down with the force and regularity of ponderous machinery; and the whole figure is rapidly foreshortened, and appears to double in size with each advancing stride. The trunk being curled and unable to emit any sound, the attack is made in silence, after the usual premonitory shriek, which adds to its impressiveness. The usual pictorial representations of the Indian elephant charging with upraised trunk are accordingly quite incorrect."<ref name=lydekker/> </blockquote> == Captivity == [[Image:ElephantTrainingCamp.jpg|thumb|At this elephant training camp, [[captive]] elephants are taught to handle logs.]] 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. They have been used for their ability to travel over difficult terrain by hunters, for whom they served as mobile hunting platforms. The same purpose is met in safaris in modern times. The first historical record of domestication of Asian elephants was in Harappan times. Ultimately the elephant went on to become a siege engine, a mount in war, a status symbol, a work animal, and an elevated platform for hunting during historical times in [[South Asia]].<ref name="IWH3">Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 6.</ref> The elephant plays an important part in the culture of the subcontinent and beyond, featuring prominently in [[Jataka]] tales and the [[Panchatantra]]. It plays 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 have been used in processions in [[Kerala]] where the animals are adorned with festive outfits. They were also used by almost all armies in India as [[war elephant]]s, terrifying opponents unused to the massive beast. ==Subspecies== ''Elephas maximus'' is the only surviving species in the ''[[Elephas]]'' genus, although several extinct fossil species of ''Elephas'' are known. There are four subspecies of the Asian elephant: * [[Indian Elephant]] (''E. m. indicus'') * [[Sri Lankan Elephant]] (''E. m. maximus'') * [[Sumatran Elephant]] (''E. m. sumatrensis'') * [[Borneo Elephant]] (''E. m. borneensis'') [[Image:Thrippunithura-Elephant6 crop.jpg|thumb|left|Elephants in [[Kerala]] are trained not to move when ''Valiya kol'' (long pole) is kept on him.]] [[Image:Thrippunithura-Elephant4 crop.jpg|right|thumb|An elephant named ''Sri Hari'' during [[Sree Poornathrayesa temple]] festival, [[Thrippunithura]].]] The population in [[Vietnam]] and [[Laos]] is undergoing tests to determine if it is a fifth subspecies. ''E. m. indicus'' survives in separate ranges in southern India, the [[Himalaya]]n foothills, and northwest India; it is also found in southern [[China]], [[Burma]], [[Thailand]], [[Cambodia]] and the [[Malaysia]]n peninsula. Most males of this subspecies have tusks.<br> ''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.<br> ''E. m. sumatrensis'' is only found in [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]]. 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.<br> ''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.<ref name=Fernando>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 [http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0000006 Full text]</ref> In addition, two [[extinct]] subspecies are considered by some authorities to have existed: *The Chinese population is sometimes separated as ''E. m. rubridens'' (pink-tusked elephant); it disappeared after the 14th century BC. *The [[Syrian Elephant]] (''E. m. asurus''), the westernmost and one of the largest subspecies of the Asian Elephant, went extinct around 100 BC. This latter population, along with other Indian elephants, were considered the best [[war elephant]]s in antiquity, and found superior to the smallish [[North African Elephant]] (''Loxodonta africana pharaonensis'') used by the armies of [[Carthage]]. ==See also== * [[Batyr (The Elephant)]] * [[Elephants in Kerala culture]] ==References==<!-- Biol. Lett.2:451 doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0467 molecular data confirms validity and distinctness of asurus. Paper had controversy (BiolLett3:55,57,60) but not about asurus data --> {{reflist}} <!--Please inline this citation * {{cite journal | author = Bandara, Ranjith and Clem Tisdell | year = 2004 | title = The net benefit of saving the Asian elephant a policy and contingent valuation study | journal = Ecological Economics | volume = 48 | issue = 1 | pages = 93 | doi = 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.01.001}} --> ==External links== {{commonscat|Elephas maximus}} {{wikispecies|Elephas maximus}} *[http://www.asianelephant.net/ Asian Elephants at the Zoological Gardens of the World] *[http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsianElephants/ National Zoo Facts on Asian Elephant and a Webcam of the Asian Elephant exhibit] *[http://www.chaffeezoo.org/animals/elephant.html The Chaffee Zoo Asian Elephant Fact Sheet] *[http://ecos.fws.gov/species_profile/servlet/gov.doi.species_profile.servlets.SpeciesProfile?spcode=A059 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Species Profile] {{Proboscidea}} [[Category:Elephants]] [[Category:Mammals of Asia]] [[Category:Fauna of the Indian Subcontinent]] [[Category:Mammals of India]] [[Category:Fauna of Sri Lanka]] [[Category:Fauna of Southeast Asia]] [[Category:Fauna of Bangladesh]] [[Category:Fauna of Burma]] [[Category:Fauna of Vietnam]] [[Category:Fauna of Cambodia]] [[Category:Fauna of Thailand]] [[Category:Fauna of Malaysia]] [[Category:Mammals of Indonesia]] [[Category:EDGE Species]] {{Link FA|fi}} [[ca:Elefant asiàtic]] [[cs:Slon indický]] [[da:Asiatisk elefant]] [[de:Asiatischer Elefant]] [[et:India elevant]] [[es:Elephas maximus]] [[eo:Azia elefanto]] [[fr:Éléphant d'Asie]] [[gl:Elefante asiático]] [[ko:아시아코끼리]] [[hr:Azijski slon]] [[it:Elephas maximus]] [[he:פיל אסייתי]] [[la:Elephas maximus]] [[lt:Azijinis dramblys]] [[hu:Ázsiai elefánt]] [[ms:Gajah Asia]] [[nl:Aziatische olifant]] [[ja:アジアゾウ]] [[no:Asiatisk elefant]] [[pl:Słoń indyjski]] [[pt:Elefante-asiático]] [[ru:Индийский слон]] [[simple:Asian Elephant]] [[sk:Slon ázijský]] [[sl:Azijski slon]] [[fi:Aasiannorsu]] [[sv:Asiatisk elefant]] [[tl:Elephas maximus]] [[ta:ஆசிய யானை]] [[th:ช้างเอเชีย]] [[vi:Voi châu Á]] [[zh-yue:亞洲象]] [[zh:亚洲象]]