The Asian elephant is the largest of extant four footed animals with a long flexible trunk. Only male Asian elephants have tusks, and these are usually smaller than African tusks.
An Asian elephant differs from an African elephant in that its ears are smaller and shaped differently and it has an extremely large head and short neck. They have five toes on each forefoot while the African elephant has only three toes.
| FAST FACTS |
|
|---|---|
| SCIENTIFIC NAME |
ELEPHAS MAXIMUS |
| WHERE IN THE WILD? |
RESTRICTED TO MOUNTAINOUS PARTS OF INDIA, INDOCHINA, SRI LANKA, INDONESIA AND SOUTHERN CHINA |
| WHAT'S ON THE MENU? |
ONLY PLANT MATERIALS, AS MUCH AS 500 LB. PER DAY |
| LIFE EXPECTANCY |
AROUND 60 YEARS |