What are the Differences in Male & Female Elephants?

Height and Weight

• There are two species of elephants, and the males of both have larger bodies than females. An African male elephant can stand 10 1/2 feet at the shoulder, while African female elephants only reach a height of 8 feet. The male Asian elephant can reach a height of 10 feet with females being as short as 7 feet. Elephants can weigh between 6,000 to 15,000 lbs, with males being larger than females.

Herd Mentality

• Adult female elephants and calves make up the majority of most herds. Herds usually contain about 20 elephants and are led by one dominant female. Male elephants leave the herd upon reaching puberty. Some will travel with a few other males, but most go it alone. When males do visit herds of female elephants, it is only for breeding purposes. Only the females care for the calves of the herd.

Tusk and Tushes

• Tusks are the elephant's first two teeth that extend from the upper jawbone just under the upper lip. The tusks of the African male elephant are thick and long in comparison to the slender and short tusks of females. Those tusks are also less than half as thick as male tusks. Most Asian male elephants have larger tusks than Asian female elephants. However, female Asian elephants and some males will have small, short tusks called "tushes" that rarely extend beyond the upper lip.

Reproductive Organs

• Both species are sexually dimorphic, which means that their sex can be determined by examining the external sex organs. Like most mammals, the males have an external reproductive tract (penis) and testicles, and female elephants have a vaginal tract. Both sexes have vestigial nipples, but only female elephants have mammary glands that produce milk.