Indian elephant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Indian elephant |
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| Tusked male, Bandipur National Park | |
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| Female, Nagarhole National Park | |
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| Elephas maximus indicus (Cuvier), 1798
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The Indian elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as Endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last 60 to 75 years or three generations. Asian elephants are threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.
Characteristics
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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. Indian elephants reach a shoulder height of between 2 and 3.5 m (6.6 and 11.5 ft), weigh between 2,000 and 5,000 kg (4,400 and 11,000 lb), and have 19 pairs of ribs. Their skin color is light with smaller patches of depigmentation. Females are usually smaller than males, and have short or no tusks.
The largest Indian elephant was 3.43 metres (11.3 ft) high at the shoulder. In 1985, two large elephant bulls were spotted for the first time in Bardia National Park, and named Raja Gaj and Kanchha. They roamed the park area together and made occasional visits to the females. Raja Gaj stood 11.3 ft (3.4 m) tall at the shoulder and had a massive body weight. His appearance has been compared to that of a mammoth due to his high bi-domed shaped head. His forehead and domes were more prominent than in other Asian bull elephants.
Indian elephants have smaller ears, but relatively broader skulls and larger trunks than African elephants. Toes are large and broad. Unlike their African cousins.
Distribution and habitat
The Indian elephant is native to mainland Asia: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsular, Laos, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is regionally extinct in Pakistan. It inhabits grasslands, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
Ecology and behaviour
Elephants are classified as megaherbivores and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. They are generalist feeders, and both grazers and browsers. In a study area of 1,130 km2 (440 sq mi) in southern India, elephants were recorded to feed on 112 different plant species. They graze on the tall grasses, but the portion consumed varies with season.
Images for kids
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Wild elephants in Munnar, Kerala
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An elephant herd in Jim Corbett National Park
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Elephants bathing at Mudumalai National Park's elephant camp
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An elephant at Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary
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A tusked male at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand
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Wild Indian elephants
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A herd of wild elephants at Kui Buri National Park, Thailand
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A large male in Mudumalai National Park
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A calf in the Nagarhole National Park with injuries on the head indicating a possible attack by a leopard or a tiger
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Ivory chopsticks
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Elephant Raju at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam
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See also
In Spanish: Elephas maximus indicus para niños
