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Differences Between African & Asian Elephants

Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world. They have the longest gestation period of any land animal, which is 22 months. The African bush and African forest elephant live in Africa. The Asian elephant, also known as the Indian elephant, lives in a few areas in Asia. The African and Asian elephants are different in appearance, endangerment status, geographical location and interaction with humans.

Size
- African elephants are slightly larger in size than Asian elephants. An African elephant's shoulder height is between 10 and 13 feet (3 and 4 meters). The highest point of the body is the shoulders. It will also weigh 8,800 to15,400 lbs. In comparison, the Asia elephant grows between 6 1/2 and 11 1/2 feet in shoulder height. It weighs slightly less, on average 6,600 to 13,200 lbs.
Ears and Skin
- An African elephant has large ears that extends to his shoulders.
  
  The most notable physical difference between the two types of elephants is the ear shape. Elephants use their ears to keep themselves cool. An Asian elephant has a small, rounded ear. The African elephant's ear is much larger and reaches up over the neck. Conveniently, it looks like the shape of the African continent. The African elephant has dark gray skin which is wrinkly. The Asian elephant has smoother, dark gray to brown skin with pink patches in places.
Tusks
- A female Asian elephant has little or no tusk.
  
  Tusks are used to fight with other elephants, clear a path and to loosen dirt on the ground to eat. Both sexes of African elephants have tusks. The males generally have longer tusks than females. However, only the male Asian elephants have large tusks. Female elephants either have very small ones that are barely visible or no tusk at all.
Human Interaction
- Unlike the African species, the Asian elephant has been domesticated by humans for thousands of years. They are used as transportation, to move heavy objects and to assist in battle. African elephants, on the other hand, are notoriously difficult to domesticate. It is argued Asian elephants are easier to domesticate because they are caught and tamed from a young age.
Geography
- Elephants live near trees and vegetation in Africa.
  
  African elephants inhabit most of Afr ica. They can be found in the sub-Saharan region and rain forests to the west and in central Africa. The most northern area for the animals is in Mali's Sahel desert. Asian elephants live in India, Vietnam, Burma, Thailand and Cambodia. A small number inhabit southwest China.
Protection Status
- Both kinds of elephants are hunted for their tusks. Ivory can be sold on the black market for a large sum of money, despite the trade being illegal. African elephants are listed as threatened. However, Asian elephants are listed as endangered after the population has fallen by over 50 percent in the last 60 to 75 years.

Nature