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The Asian Elephant is slightly smaller than its African relatives; the easiest way to
distinguish the two is that the Asian elephant has smaller ears. The Asian Elephant tends to grow
to around 2 to 3.6 metres (6.6 to 11.8 ft) in height and 3,000±5,000 kilograms (6,600±11,000 lb)
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, four nails on each hind foot instead of three, and 19 pairs of ribs instead of 21. Also, unlike
the African Elephant, the female Asian Elephant usually lacks tusks; if tusks ² in that case
called "tushes" ² are present, they are barely visible, and only seen when the female opens her
mouth. The enamel plates of the molars are greater in number and closer together in Asian
elephants. Some males may also lack tusks; these individuals are called "makhnas", and are
especially common among the Sri Lankan elephant population. Furthermore, the forehead has
two hemispherical bulges, unlike the flat front of the African elephant. Unlike African elephants
which rarely use their forefeet for anything other than digging or scraping soil, Asian elephants
are more agile at using their feet in conjunction with the trunk for manipulating objects.
Asian elephants generally live in hot climates. Their skin is around 3±4 cm thick.
Elephants eat up to 150±170 kg of vegetation a day. Asiatic elephant is endangered because of
destruction of its living place.
Asian elephants are highly intelligent and self-aware, and they have a very large and
highly convoluted neocortex, a trait also shared by humans, apes and
certain dolphin species. Asian elephants have the greatest volume of cerebral cortex available
for cognitive processing of all existing land animals. Elephants have a volume of cerebral
cortex available for cognitive processing that exceeds that of any primate species, and extensive
studies place elephants in the category of great apes in terms of cognitive abilities for tool use
and tool making.
See also: Elephant intelligence



The sizes of elephants in the wild have been exaggerated in the past. However, record
elephants may have measured as high as 3.7 metres (12 ft) at the shoulder. Height is often
estimated using the rule of thumb of twice the forefoot circumference.[7]
Richard Lydekker documents sizes observed in the 19th century:
The height of the adult male usually does not exceed nine feet [2.7 m], and that of the
female eight feet [2.4 m]; but these dimensions are occasionally considerably exceeded. George
P. Sanderson measured a male standing nine feet seven inches [2.9 m] at the shoulder, and
measuring twenty-six feet two and one-half inches [8 m] from the tip of the trunk to the
extremity of the tail; and he records others respectively reaching nine feet eight inches [2.9 m]
and nine feet ten inches [3 m] at the shoulder. An elephant shot by General Kinloch stood
upward of ten feet one inch [3.1 m]; and another measured by Sanderson ten feet seven and one-
half inches [3.2 m]. These dimensions are, however, exceeded by a specimen killed by the late
Sir Victor Brooke, which is reported to have reached a height of eleven feet [3.4 m]: and there is
a rumor of a Ceylon elephant of twelve feet [3.7 m]. That such giants may occasionally exist is
indicated by a skeleton in the Museum at Calcutta, which is believed to have belonged to an
individual living between 1856 and 1860 in the neighborhood of the Rajamahal hills, in Bengal.
As now mounted this enormous skeleton stands eleven feet three inches [3.4 m] at the shoulders,
but Mr. O. S. Fraser, in a letter to the Asian newspaper, states that it is made to stand too low,
and that its true height was several inches more. If this be so, there can be no doubt that, when
alive, this elephant must have stood fully twelve feet.[7]
A record tusk described by George P. Sanderson measured 5 feet (1.5 m) along the curve,
with a girth of 16 inches (41 cm) at the point of emergence from the jaw, the weight
being 1041»2 pounds (47 kg). This was from an elephant killed by Sir V. Brooke and measured
8 feet (2.4 m) in length, and nearly 17 inches (43 cm) in circumference, and weighed 90 pounds
(41 kg). The tusk's weight was, however, exceeded by the weight of a shorter tusk of about 6 feet
(1.8 m) in length which weighed 100 pounds (45 kg).[7] The heaviest wild male recorded was
shot by the Maharajah of Susang in the Garo Hills of Assam, India in 1924, and was 8 tonnes
(8.8 short tons), 3.35 metres (11.0 ft) tall and 8.06 metres (26.4 ft) long.
.
V  
In the wild, elephant herds 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 elephant to remember and follow the traditional migration routes.[i

] When human
farms are founded along these old routes there is often considerable damage done to crops, and it
is common for elephants to be killed in the ensuing conflicts. The adult Asian Elephant has no
natural predators, but young elephants may fall prey to tigers.

A herd of wild Indian elephants in the Jim Corbett National Park, India.
Elephants' life spans have been exaggerated in the past and live on average for 60 years in
the wild and 80 in captivity.They eat 10% of their body weight each day, which for adults is
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. They sometimes eat their own
feces if hungry.
Elephants use infrasound to communicate; this was first noted by the Indian naturalist M.
Krishnan and later studied by Katherine Payne.
m   
Bull elephants may form small groups known as 'bachelor herds', but bulls may also roam
independently at various times. Bulls will fight one another to get access to estrous females.
Males reach sexual maturity around age 12-15 (younger in captivity). By their late teens or early
twenties, bulls undergo an annual phenomenon known as "musth". This is a period where
the testosterone level is high (up to 100 times greater than non-musth periods) and they become
extremely aggressive. Secretions containing pheromones occur during this period, from the
paired temporal glands located on the head between the lateral edge of the eye and the base of
the ear. At the height of musth, bulls also become urine incontinent, and will discharge urine
continuously. Over time, they develop a greyish/greenish tinge to their prepuce which has been
termed 'green penis'.
   

An Asian elephant Kwunjai and baby Gabi, at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.
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 onecalf,
or occasionally twins. The calf is fully developed by the 19th month but stays in thewomb to
grow so that it can reach its mother to feed. At birth, the calf weighs about 100 kg (220 lb), and
is suckled for up to 2±3 years. Once a female gives birth, she usually does not breed again until
the first calf is weaned, resulting in a 4-5 year birth interval. Females stay on with the herd, but
mature males are chased away.
Females produce sex pheromones; a principal component thereof, (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl
acetate, has also been found to be a sex pheromone in numerous species of insects.


The trunk is an amazing organ of extreme dexterity: it is the single most important
feature of an elephant, and gives the Order Proboscidea its name. The trunk is very strong ,
which is its ideal tool for eating. It is actually a fusion between the nose and upper lip, and
consists of some 100 000 muscle units, which allow the elephant to move the trunk with such a
wide range of movement.
Elephants use their trunks to, among other things: breathe through, smell with, to pick up
water to drink (the trunk can hold 8.5 litres), to pick leaves, fruit, etc., either off trees or off the
ground, to cover themselves with mud, water or dust, and to communicate with each other, via
touch, smell and the production of sound. It is also used for lifting objects and as a weapon.
African elephants have two 'fingers' at the tip of the trunk, which are fleshy, mobile and very
sensitive.
Interaction with humans
 Mahouts washing an elephant, Thrissur,Kerala.
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 á 
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 

 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; xylazine is also used.

The Borneo elephant is smaller with relatively larger ears, a longer tail, and straighter
tusks. It is also smaller than other subspecies of the Asian elephant.
While elephant charges are often displays of aggression that do not go beyond threats,
some elephants, such as rogues, may actually attack.
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 (24 km) 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."
 Used for tourism throughout Asia

At this elephant training camp, captiveelephants are taught to handle logs.

The elephant namely Soman at the elephant training centre, Konni,Pathanamthitta

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 war, in ceremonies, and for carriage. They have been used for their ability to travel
over difficult terrain by hunters, for whom they served as mobile hunting platforms. The same
purpose is met in safaris in modern times.
The first historical record of domestication of Asian elephants was in Harappan times.
Ultimately the elephant went on to become a siege engine, a mount in war, a status symbol, a
work animal, and an elevated platform for hunting during historical times in South Asia.
The elephant plays an important part in the culture of the subcontinent and beyond, featuring
prominently in Jataka tales and the Panchatantra. It plays a major role in Hinduism: the
godGanesha's head is that of an elephant, and the "blessings" of a temple elephant are highly
valued. Elephants have been used in processions in Kerala where the animals are adorned with
festive outfits. They were also used by almost all armies in India as war elephants, terrifying
opponents unused to the massive beast.
 Elephants in Kerala are trained not to move when Š  (long pole) is kept on him.

An elephant named á á during Sree Poornathrayesa temple festival,Thrippunithura.

The population in Vietnam and Laos is undergoing tests to determine if it is a fifth
subspecies. This research is considered vital as there are less than 1300 wild Asian
elephants remaining in Laos.
  i
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 Malaysianpeninsula. Most males of this subspecies have tusks.
   
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.
 

á
is only found in Sumatra,Indonesia. 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.
  á

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.[15]
In addition, two extinct subspecies are considered by some authorities to have existed:
The Chinese Elephant is sometimes separated as á á 
(pink-tusked elephant);
it disappeared after the 14th century BC.
The Syrian Elephant (  
á
), the westernmost and the largest subspecies of the
Asian Elephant, went extinct around 100 BC. This latter population, along with other Indian
elephants, were considered the best war elephants in antiquity, and found superior to the
smallish North African Elephant (
 á i á

) used by the armies
of Carthage.


 
An adult full grown healthy male Asian elephant has hardly any natural predators, but
there have been records of tigers preying on weak elephants. An elephant can use it's huge size to
scare off attackers and no living animal can kill an elephant with ease, except killer whales, but
they do not fight, since killer whales live in water, but when elephants swim (Borneo elephants),
they can be attacked. But, normally, killer whales will target smaller prey.
   
An elephant's huge size gives it good fighting skills. It also has deadly weapons. With
tusks up to 6.2 feet (2.0 meters)in length and powerful tusks, they have no natural predators. A
very large Asian elephant is capable of easily killing an Indian rhinoceros , a Saltwater
Crocodile or a Mugger Crocodile. They also can fight really well.