Hobbies And Interests
Appearance
Asian elephants, like all elephants, sport the long trunk that sets them apart from most other animals. This trunk, which has a fingerlike tip, enables the elephants pick up things, spray water on themselves and explore their surroundings. Asian elephants have leathery skin that is brown or grey, and large ears that are smaller and rounder than the ears of the African elephant. Asian elephants are also somewhat smaller in size than African elephants. Asian elephants usually grow to between six-and-one-half feet and nearly 10 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh between two-and-a-quarter and five-and-one-half tons. Male elephants have small or nonexistent tusks.
Habitat
Asian elephants live in tropical or subtropical forests in the Indo-Malayan region of Asia. This region includes the countries of Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia. Within this area, Asian elephants live in small, somewhat isolated groups.
Diet
The diet of Asian elephants consists of various types of vegetation, including roots, bark, grasses, leaves and small twigs. Some crops, such as rice or bananas, may also be a food source. Because of their extreme size, Asian elephants can easily consume 300 pounds of food per day. These elephants move from place to place, sleeping little, as they search for food.
Life Cycle
Female and young Asian elephants live in family groups. Usually between six and seven elephants live in these groups, which are headed by an elder female. Male elephants tend to live by themselves, occasionally meeting with female groups to breed. Females give birth every two-and-a-half to four years. Gestation takes 22 months. Young elephants are completely dependent on their mothers for the first four years of their lives. They reach full growth in about 17 years. Asian elephants can live for up to 60 years.
Endangered Species
Asian elephants are an endangered species. They have been hunted for years their ivory tusks. Even though this practice is now illegal, the hunting continues. Asian elephants are also taken into captivity illegally, which depletes the population and gene pool even further. Habitat destruction is a threat to the continued existence of the species. The building of houses, roads and towns reduces their feeding grounds and cuts herds of elephants off from each other. This can effect the gene pool. As of 2011, no more than 32,750 Asian elephants survive, according to the World Wildlife Fund.