ASIAN ELEPHANT

The 'Asian' or 'Asiatic Elephant' (''Elephas maximus''), sometimes known by the name of its nominate subspecies (the Indian Elephant), is one of the three living species of elephant, and the only living species of the genus ''Elephas''. The species is found primarily in large parts of India, Sri Lanka, Indochina and parts of Indonesia. It is considered endangered, with between 25,600 and 32,750 left in the wild^[1].
It is smaller than its African relatives, and the easiest way to distinguish the two are the smaller ears of the Asian Elephant. The Asian Elephant tends to grow to around two to four meters (7–12 feet) in height and 3,000–5,000 kilograms (6,500–11,000 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, 4 nails on each hind foot instead of three, and 19 pairs of ribs instead of 21. Also, unlike with the African elephant, the female Asian Elephant usually lacks tusks; if tusks--in that case called "tushes"--are present, they are barely visible and only seen when the female opens its mouth. Some males may also lack tusks; these individuals are called "makhnas" and especially common among the Sri Lankan elephant population. Furthermore, the forehead has two hemispherical bulges unlike the flat front of the African elephant.
This animal is widely domesticated, and has been used in forestry in South and Southeast Asia for centuries and also in ceremonial purposes. Historical sources point out that they were sometimes used during the harvest season primarily for milling. Wild elephants attract tourist money to the areas where they can most readily be seen, but damage crops and may enter villages to raid gardens.

Contents

Size

Behaviour

Female behaviour

Male behaviour

Danger

Captivity

Subspecies

See also

References

External links

Gallery

Size

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 thumb rule of twice the forefoot circumference. The Royal Natural History. Volume 2, Lydekker, R., , , , 1894,
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. The tusk weight is, however, exceeded by a shorter tusk of about six feet in length which weighed one hundred pounds.

Behaviour

Molar showing rough crown for griding vegetation

Elephant herds in the wild 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 to remember and follow the traditional migration routes. When human farms are founded in these old routes there is often considerable damage done to crops and it is common for elephants to be killed in the ensuing conflicts.
Elephants live on average for 60 years in the wild and 80 in captivity.^[2] They eat 10% of their body weight each day, which is for adults 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.^[3]

Female behaviour

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 and rarely 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 nurse. The calf weighs about 100 kg (220 lb), and is suckled for up to 2–3 years. Females stay on with the herd, but males are chased away.
Females produce sex pheromones and a principal component (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate is found to be a sex pheromone in numerous species of insects.^[4][5]

Male behaviour

Bull elephants are usually solitary and they 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

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 ''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.
While elephant charges are often displays of aggression that do not go beyond threats. Some elephants such as rogues may go beyond mere threats.

In regard to movement on land, Mr. 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."

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."

Captivity

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 wars, in ceremonies and for carriage. They have been used for their ability to travel over difficult terrain by hunters who used them as mobile hunting platforms. The same purpose is met in safaris in modern times.
The elephant plays an important part in the culture of the subcontinent and beyond, featuring prominently in Jataka tales and the Panchatantra. It is also quite venerated and the "blessings" of a temple elephant is sought by Hindus as Lord Ganesha's head is made up of an elephant. It has been used in majestic processions in Kerala where the pachyderms are adorned with festive outfits. They were used by almost all armies in India as war elephants, terrifying opponents unused to the massive beast.

Subspecies

Asian Elephant trunk

''Elephas maximus'' is the only surviving species in the ''Elephas'' genus; ''Elephas recki'', an even larger species, is extinct.
There are four subspecies of Asian elephant:

★ Indian Elephant (''E. m. indicus'')

★ Sri Lankan Elephant (''E. m. maximus'')

★ Sumatran Elephant (''E. m. sumatrensis'')

★ Borneo Elephant (''E. m. borneensis'')
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 Himalayan foothills, and northwest India; it is also found in southern China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and the Malaysian peninsula. Most males of this subspecies have tusks.

''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.

''E. m. sumatrensis'' is only found in Sumatra. 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.

''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.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 Full text
The extinct 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 and the Indian Elephant were considered the best war elephants in antiquity, and found superior to the smallish North African Elephant used by the armies of Carthage.

See also

★ Batyr (The Elephant)

★ Elephants in Kerala culture

References

1. World Wildlife Fund factsheet
2. Asian Elephant - Animal facts
3. Silent Thunder, , Katherine, Payne, Simon & Schuster, 1998, ISBN 0-684-80108-6
4. 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.
5. Rasmussen, L. E. L., Lee, T. D., Roelofs, W. L., Zhang, A. J. & Daves, G. D. (1996). Insect pheromone in elephants. Nature, 379, 684.

External links

★ Asian Elephants at the Zoological Gardens of the World

★ ARKive - images and movies of the Asian elephant ''(Elephas maximus)''

★ EleAid Asian Elephant Conservation Charity – Asian Elephant Facts and Information

★ National Zoo Facts on Asian Elephant and a Webcam of the Asian Elephant exhibit

★ Elephant Nature Park,Northern ThailandPark's Volunteer Site

★ The Chaffee Zoo Asian Elephant Fact Sheet

★ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Species Profile

★ Asian elephants in Thailand and Sri Lanka

Gallery