ASIAN ELEPHANT
Elephas maximus indicus
Cuvier, 1798
PHOTOZOO.ORG
CLASSIFICATION
ENDANGERED
Class: Mammalia
Order: Proboscidea
Family: Elephantidae
Identification : Adult males can reach 6.4 m in length, 3.4 m in shoulder height and
weight up to 6 tons. Two pronounced humps on top of forehead, small folded ears,
rounded back. Only males have tusks. Coloration brown-grey.
4 other subspecies
Range: This subspecies occurs from India to south China, south to Thailand. The
species is also found on Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra.
Habitat : Mostly in forests, also in woodlands, shrublands and grasslands.
APPENDIX I
Behavior: Less social than African elephants, females occur in groups. Mostly
herbivorous, spending up to 19 hours a day browsing for food.
Status in the wild: The species has significantly declined because of poaching and
reduction of habitat. The species’ range is highly fragmented today.
COMMON
In captivity: The species is very common in captivity around the world but lots of
hybrids occur in Europe and America. This subspecies remains the commonest in
captivity around the world by far. It occurs with certainty in 38 European zoos.