2A00:23C5:8D98:E201:1DC:596C:B4F7:178F at 21:45, 26 August 2022

2022-08-26T21:45:39Z

New page

{{Taxobox
| name = Asian elephant
| status_system = iucn3.1
| status = EN
| image = Asian elephant - melbourne zoo.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = Asian elephant
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| subphylum = [[Vertebrate|Vertebrata]]
| superclassis = [[Tetrapod]]a
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
| subclassis = [[Theria]]
| superordo = [[Afrotheria]]
| ordo = [[Proboscidea]]
| genus = ''[[Elephas]]''
| species = '''''E. maximus'''''
| binomial = ''Elephas maximus''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
| range_map = Elphas_maximus_range.png
| range_map_width = 250px
| range_map_caption = Asian Elephant range
}}

The '''Asian elephant''' (''Elephas maximus orientalis'') is the elephant species living in Asia. They are more easily tamed than larger [[Africa]]n elephants. People have used them as working animals for hundreds of years. It is mostly found in parts of [[India]] and nearby countries.

== Description ==
Asian elephants are different from African elephants. They are smaller, have smaller [[ear]]s, a more rounded back, and a fourth toenail on each of their back feet. They have thick, dry skin with a small amount of stiff hair, and are grey to brown in colour. Female Asian elephants have small [[tusk]]s and occasionally none at all. Sometimes pink spots appear on the ears as a result of loss of [[pigment]].

Asian elephants eat [[grass]], [[hay]], twigs, [[bark]] and fruits. It can live up to 60 to 80 years. It can weigh up to 5000kg and be up to 300cm tall. It takes up to 660 days or 22 months until the babies are born. <ref>Hannover Zoo: [http://www.zoo-hannover.de/explore-the-zoo/animals-a-z/asian-elephant.html?L=1#steckbrief Asian Elephant]{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, viewed 2012-12-06</ref>

== Distribution ==
Asian elephants live across many parts of [[India]] and [[Sri Lanka]]. They also live as far east as [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]]. These three areas have [[subspecies]] that are slightly different.

== Habitat ==
Asian elephants are spread over areas with very different amounts of rain. They can survive in dry places where less than 40cm of rain falls per year and in wet areas where over 8 meters of rain falls in a year.

== Culture ==
In the [[Burmese zodiac#Weekdays|Burmese, Thai and Sinhalese animal and planetary zodiac]], the Asian elephant, both tusked and tuskless, are the fourth and fifth animal zodiacs of the [[Myanmar|Burmese]], the fourth animal zodiac of the [[Thai people|Thai]], and the second animal zodiac of the [[Sinhalese people]] of Sri Lanka.<ref>Upham, E. (1829). [https://archive.org/details/historydoctrineo00upha The History and Doctrine of Budhism: Popularly Illustrated: with Notices of the Kappooism, Or Demon Worship, and of the Bali, Or Planetary Incantations, of Ceylon]. London: R. Ackermann.</ref> Similarly, the [[Pig (zodiac)|elephant]] is the twelfth animal zodiac in the [[Chinese zodiac|Dai animal zodiac]] of the [[Dai people]] in southern China.<ref>[https://www.warriortours.com/intro/zodiac.htm Chinese Zodiac]. Warriortours.com. Retrieved on 12 June 2017.</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Elephants]]
[[Category:Mammals of Asia]]
[[Category:National symbols of Laos]]
[[Category:National symbols of Myanmar]]
[[Category:National symbols of Thailand]]

Elephas maximus orientalis - Revision history

2A00:23C5:8D98:E201:1DC:596C:B4F7:178F at 21:45, 26 August 2022