ASIAN ELEPHANT





SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

COMMON NAME:

Asian elephant, Indian elephant

KINGDOM:

Animalia

PHYLUM:

Chordata

CLASS:

Mammalia

ORDER:

Proboscidea

FAMILY:

Elephantidae

GENUS SPECIES:

Elephas (elephant) maximus (largest)


FAST FACTS

DESCRIPTION:

Huge thick-skinned herbivore with fan-shaped ears and a long trunk, with a single finger-like projection at the tip, which originates between two forward projecting incisors that extend to the ground

SIZE:

2.4-3.1 m (8-10 ft.) at the shoulder

WEIGHT:

2700-5000 kg (6000-11000 lb.); females are smaller

DIET:

Consumes plants including grasses, fruits, vegetables, leaves, and bark which it gathers with its long trunk

GESTATION:

18-22 months

SEXUAL MATURITY:

MALE

10-14 years (bulls)

FEMALE

8-9 years (cows)

LIFE SPAN:

60-70 years

RANGE:

Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and Sumatra

HABITAT:

Forests, adjoining grasslands, and scrub

POPULATION:

GLOBAL

No data

STATUS:

IUCN

Endangered

CITES

Appendix I

USFWS

Endangered


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