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The Indian elephant is one of the largest mammals on Earth. The majestic animal is a cultural icon of India and throughout Asia and helps maintain the integrity of the ecosystem in forests and grasslands. In the mythology of Asian countries, elephants personified royal greatness, longevity, kindness, generosity and intelligence. These majestic creatures have been loved by everyone since childhood.

general characteristics

The elephant belongs to the order Proboscis and is one of three modern representatives of the elephant family. Some differences allow us to distinguish four subspecies of the Asian elephant, named according to their place of distribution:

the elephant is distinguished by the largest tusks ;
Sri Lankan elephant, it has no tusks, the head seems too large in proportion to the body;
the Sumatran elephant, nicknamed “pocket elephant” due to its small size;
Bornean elephant with particularly large ears and a long tail.

What does the Indian elephant eat?

Photo: Asian Indian elephants

Elephants are classified as herbivores and consume up to 150 kg of vegetation per day. In an area of 1,130 km² in southern India, elephants have been recorded feeding on 112 species of different plants, most commonly legumes, palms, sedges and grasses. Their consumption of greens depends on the season. When new vegetation appears in April, they eat the tender shoots.

Later, when the grasses begin to exceed 0.5 m, Indian elephants uproot them with clods of earth, skillfully separate the soil and consume the fresh tops of the leaves, but discard the roots. In autumn, elephants clean and eat succulent root vegetables. In bamboo, they prefer to eat young seedlings, stems and side shoots.

During the dry season from January to April, Indian elephants roam on leaves and branches, preferring fresh foliage, and consume the thorny shoots of acacia trees without any apparent discomfort. They feed on black locust bark and other flowering plants and consume the fruits of tree apple (feronia), tamarind (Indian date) and date palm.

It is important! Declining habitat is forcing elephants to seek alternative food sources from the farms, settlements and plantations that have grown up in their ancient forest lands.

In Nepal's Bardiya National Park, Indian elephants consume large amounts of winter floodplain grass, especially during the monsoon season. During the dry season, they focus more on bark, which forms the bulk of their diet during the cool part of the season.

During a study in a 160 km² tropical deciduous area in Assam, elephants were observed feeding on approximately 20 species of grasses, plants and trees. Such grasses, like leersia, are far from the most common component of their diet.

Appearance

If you look at both species, you can clearly understand which elephants are more Indian or African. The Indian giant has a more massive build, its legs are thick and short.

The elephant has a wide forehead, depressed in the middle. Indian and African elephants have tusks, but in the Asian species they are 2-3 times smaller, and in some subspecies they may be completely absent. The trunk contains inside a complex system of muscles and tendons.

Where does the Indian elephant live?

Photo: Indian elephants

The Indian elephant is native to mainland Asia: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Laos, China, Cambodia and Vietnam. Completely extinct as a species in Pakistan. It lives in meadows, as well as in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.

In the early 1990s, wild populations were:

27,700–31,300 in India, where numbers are limited to four general areas: in the northwest at the foot of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh; in the northeast - from the eastern border of Nepal to western Assam. In the central part - in Odisha, Jharkhand and southern part of West Bengal, where some animals roam. In the south, eight populations are separated from each other in northern Karnataka;
100–125 individuals have been recorded in Nepal, where their range is limited to several protected areas. In 2002, estimates ranged from 106 to 172 elephants, most of which are found in Bardia National Park.
150–250 elephants in Bangladesh, where only isolated populations survive;
250–500 in Bhutan, where their range is limited to protected areas in the south along the Indian border;
Somewhere between 4000-5000 in Myanmar, where numbers are highly fragmented (females predominate);
2,500–3,200 in Thailand, mostly in the mountains along the Myanmar border, with smaller numbers of fragmented herds occurring in the south of the peninsula;
2100–3100 in Malaysia;
500–1000 Laos, where they are scattered in forested areas, highlands and lowlands;
200–250 in China, where Asian elephants managed to survive only in Xishuangbanna, Simao and Lincang prefectures in southern Yunnan;
250–600 in Cambodia, where they are found in the mountains of the southwest and in the provinces of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri;
70–150 in southern parts of Vietnam.

These statistics do not apply to domesticated individuals.

Lifestyle

The elephant tolerates the cold better, but in hot weather it is forced to hide in the shade. This is due to the absence of sweat glands in the skin, which could help cool the body.

This animal equally loves to swim in water and mud; this saves the skin from insect bites, sunburn and drying out. A bulky physique does not hinder high mobility.

Elephants can reach speeds of up to 48 km/h when in danger. Poor vision is more than compensated for by excellent hearing development; animals can communicate over a distance of several kilometers using infrasound. Their lifestyle is predominantly nocturnal; rest requires 4 hours of sleep per day; elephants most often sleep during the day.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Indian elephant calf

Females usually create family clans consisting of an experienced female, her offspring, and young elephants of both sexes. Previously, herds consisted of 25-50 heads and even more. Now the number is 2-10 females. Males lead a solitary life, except during mating periods. Indian elephants have no special mating time.

By the age of 15-18 years, male Indian elephants become capable of reproduction. After this, every year they fall into a state of euphoria called must (“intoxication”). During this period, their testosterone levels increase significantly, and their behavior becomes very aggressive. Elephants are becoming dangerous even to humans. The must lasts about 2 months.

Male elephants, when ready to mate, begin to flare out their ears. This allows them to spread their pheromones, released from the skin gland located between the ear and eye, over a greater distance and attract females. Older males, between 40 and 50 years old, usually mate. Females are ready to breed at 14 years of age.

Interesting fact! Younger males usually cannot withstand the strength of older ones, so they do not marry until they are much older. This circumstance makes it difficult to increase the number of Indian elephants.

Elephants hold the record for the longest period of time from conception to birth of offspring. The gestation period is 22 months. Females are capable of giving birth to one young every four to five years. At birth, elephant calves are one meter tall and weigh about 100 kg.

A baby elephant can stand soon after birth. He is cared for not only by his mother, but also by other females of the herd. The Indian elephant calf stays with its mother until it is 5 years old. Having gained independence, males leave the herd, but females remain. The lifespan of Indian elephants is about 70 years.

trunks

The difference between individuals also affects the trunks. They include projections that are shaped like fingers. Moreover, the trunk of the African word includes 2 processes, and the Asian one - only 1.

Offspring

The reproduction of Indian elephants does not depend on the season, although drought or forced crowding of a large number of animals can slow down the onset of estrus and even puberty.

The fetus stays in the mother's womb for up to 22 months, being fully formed by 19 months: in the remaining time it simply gains weight.

During childbirth, females cover the woman in labor by standing in a circle. A female elephant gives birth to one (rarely two) cub, one meter tall and weighing up to 100 kg. He already has elongated incisors that fall out when baby teeth are replaced with permanent ones.

A couple of hours after birth, the baby elephant is already on its feet and sucking its mother’s milk, and the mother powders the baby with dust and earth so that its delicate smell does not attract predators.

Several days will pass, and the newborn will wander along with everyone else, clinging to its mother’s tail with its proboscis.

The baby elephant is allowed to suck milk from all lactating elephants . The cub is separated from the breast at 1.5-2 years, completely transferred to a plant-based diet. Meanwhile, the baby elephant begins to dilute milk feeding with grass and leaves at six months of age.

After giving birth, the elephant defecates so that the newborn remembers the aroma of her feces. In the future, the baby elephant will eat them so that both undigested nutrients and symbiotic bacteria that promote the absorption of cellulose enter the body.

Interesting Facts

You probably don't know that:

When swimming underwater, elephants use their trunk to breathe.
At the end of the trunk of the Asian animal there is one finger-like outgrowth. With its help the elephant feeds.
In difficult times, animals can cry like people, while they make low sounds that we cannot hear.
Elephants can distinguish each other's voices at a distance of 19 kilometers.
These are the only animals that bury their dead relatives. Having found the remains, the herd works together to hide the bones in the ground.
The trunk is very important for the animal; it eats with its help, breathes and smells, and reaches the foliage of trees. If it is injured, the elephant may die of starvation.

Natural enemies of Indian elephants

Photo: Great Indian elephant

Due to their enormous size, Indian elephants have few predators. Besides tusk hunters, tigers are major predators, although they often hunt elephant calves or weakened animals rather than larger, stronger individuals.

Indian elephants form herds, making it difficult for predators to defeat them alone. Single male elephants are very healthy, so they are not often hunted. Tigers hunt an elephant in a group. An adult elephant can kill a tiger if it is not careful, but if the animals are hungry enough, they will take the risk.

Elephants spend a lot of time in the water, so young elephants can become victims of crocodiles. However, this does not happen often. Most of the time, young animals are safe. Hyenas also often hang around the herd when they sense signs of illness in one of the group members.

Interesting fact! Elephants tend to die in a certain place. This means that they internally feel the approach of death and know when their time will come. The places where old elephants go are called elephant cemeteries.

However, the biggest problem for elephants comes from humans. It is no secret that people have been hunting them for decades. With the weapons that people have, animals simply have no chance to survive.

Indian elephants are large and destructive animals, and small farmers can lose all their property overnight to their raid. These animals also cause great damage to large agricultural corporations. Devastating raids provoke retaliation and people kill elephants in retaliation.

How long do they live?

Elephants can be safely classified as long-livers. They live 60-80 years. An interesting fact is that in the wild, individuals die not from age or disease, but simply from hunger. This situation is due to the fact that their teeth change only four times throughout their lives. All renewals occur until the age of forty, and later they no longer grow. The old ones are gradually falling into disrepair. And by the age of seventy, the teeth become completely bad, the animal can no longer chew with them, and therefore loses all ability to eat.

Elephant corridors[edit]

There are a total of 138 state elephant corridors, 28 interstate corridors and 17 international state corridors where Indian elephant populations occur.
The table below lists the corridors. [10] Distribution of corridors by region

Region	Number of corridors	Area (km 2 )	Elephant population percentage
To the northeast	58	41 000	33%
East	54	23 500	10%
to North	8	5 500	4%
south	46	40 000	53%

Links[edit]

^ abcde Chowdhury, A.; Lahiri Chowdhury, Denmark; Desai, A.; Duckworth, J. W.; Isa, PS; Johnsingh, A.J.T.; Fernando, P.; Hedges, S.; Gunawardena, M.; Kurt, F., Karanth, W. Lister, A., Menon, V., Riddle, H., Rübel, A., Wikramanayake, E. (IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Team) (2008). "Elephas maximus" IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
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(182): 1–8. DOI: 10.2307/3504045. JSTOR 3504045.
Shoshani, J. (2006). "Taxonomy, classification and evolution of elephants". In Fowler, ME; Mikota, SK (ed.). Biology, Medicine and Surgery of Elephants
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"Elephant Stocks". ENVIS Center for Wildlife and Protected Areas. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
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"India's Elephant Corridors" (PDF).
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Baskaran, N., Desai, A.A. (1996). Long range behavior of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, South India. Gajah: Journal of the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group/SSC 15: 41–57.
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Threats[edit]

Large male in Mudumalai National Park

A calf in Nagarhole National Park with head injuries indicating a possible attack by a leopard or tiger

Ivory chopsticks

The main threats to Asian elephants today are habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation caused by growing human populations and leading to increased human-elephant conflict as elephants eat or trample crops. [1] Significant amounts of elephant range and suitable habitat continue to be lost; their free movement is impeded by reservoirs, hydroelectric dams and associated canals, irrigation dams, numerous cropping and plantation areas, highways, railways, mining and industrial development. [7]

Elephant poaching for ivory is a serious threat in parts of Asia. Poaching of tusks affects the sex ratio, which becomes highly female; genetic variation is reduced and fecundity and recruitment may decline. [7] Poaching has dramatically changed the adult sex ratio in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, where between 1969 and 1989 the adult male to female sex ratio changed from 1:6 to 1:122.[17]

Elephant conservation in northern West Bengal has been stalled due to high levels of human-elephant conflict and elephant deaths due to train accidents. The railway route between Siliguri and Alipurduar passes through 74 km (46 mi) of various forest areas. Every day 20 trains travel along this road at high speeds. Elephants that move from one part of the forest to another rush onto trains and die. A total of 39 elephants were recorded dead between 1958 and 2008, of which ten were killed between 2004 and 2008 [18].

In Bangladesh, forested areas that served as primary habitat for elephants have suffered dramatic declines, which has had a serious impact on the wild elephant population. Habitat loss and fragmentation is attributed to increasing human populations and their demands for fuelwood and timber. Illegal timber extraction plays a major role in deforestation and habitat degradation. As a result of habitat loss, elephants are becoming more and more prone to direct conflict with humans. [19]

In Myanmar, the demand for ivory for tourism items is higher than ever before. The military government has shown little interest in reducing the ivory trade, while the country's elephants have become silent victims. Following the worldwide ivory ban, prices for raw ivory in the country soared from $76 per kilogram for large tusks in 1989/90 to over $200 per kilogram by the mid-1990s. Foreign tourists are responsible for the massive rise in price of ivory tusks, which is fueling the illegal killing of elephants. There is also a significant trade in chopsticks and ivory carvings, which Myanmar traders smuggle into China. [20]

Young elephants born naturally are taken from their mothers in Myanmar to be used in Thailand's tourism industry. In this case, the mothers are often killed and the calves are placed with unrelated cows to suggest that they are with their mothers. Calves are often subjected to a "breaking" process that can include tying, confinement, starvation, beating and torture, which can result in the death of two-thirds. [21]

Electrocution due to contact with electrical poles and transformers is reported to be another major threat to elephants in India, with an estimated 461 elephants electrocuted between 2009 and 2022. [22] [23]

For disease risk, see Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus.

Skin covering

Differences between animals also affect the skin. Thus, the skin of the African word is covered with many wrinkles. The body surface of the Indian species contains small hairs.

There are also certain differences in the color of the skin. Thus, Indian individuals are considered darker. Their skin is dark gray or brown in color.

African elephants are gray with slight brown coloring.

Size difference

These animals are considered the largest land inhabitants of the planet. The African variety differs from the Indian species in size. This means that such an elephant is considered the largest mammal on land. It reaches 4 meters in height at shoulder level. At the same time, the average length of the body is 6-7 meters. Sometimes it is slightly larger in size. The animal's body weight is 7000 kilograms.

Indian elephants are smaller in size. They grow up to a maximum of 3 meters. Moreover, the length does not exceed 6 meters. Body weight is rarely more than 5000 kilograms.