ASIAN ELEPHANT: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, REPRODUCTION - BIOLOGY - 2025

The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is a mammal that belongs to the Proboscidea order. Males have fangs, while females lack these. One of the characteristics of this species is its ears. They are smaller than African elephants and have a distinctive fan shape.

It has a long, narrow face and a large head, which is supported by a relatively short neck. The skull is made up of numerous large sinuses, which reduce the weight of this bony structure. As for the forehead, it is bulbous, because there are large breasts there.

Asian elephant. Source: Diego Delso

In relation to the extremities, they constitute a rigid pillar that support the enormous mass of the Asian elephant. Likewise, the vast majority of the cavities in the bone marrow of the legs have been replaced by spongy bones.

This contributes greatly to the great strength that the animal has in its extremities, in addition to making them much lighter, thus facilitating their movement.

Elephas maximus inhabits fragmented areas of semi-evergreen forests and grasslands in some Asian countries. Some of these nations are Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and Nepal.

Evolution

Previously, the hypothesis was used that both Asian and African elephants originated in Asia. However, the first fossils corresponding to the order Proboscidea have been found in Africa.

Moeritherium

The oldest ancestor is Moeritherium, which lived during the Eocene, around 35 to 50 million years ago. The fossil remains were found in Egypt. The members of this extinct genus were small in size, measuring about 70 centimeters tall. His nose was similar to that of a tapir.

According to experts, it is likely that this mammal spent much of its time in swamps and rivers. As for its teeth, its shape suggests that it fed on soft vegetation.

Palaeomastodon

Another ancestor of the members of the Proboscidea order is the Palaeomastodon. It lived in Africa, in the Eocene and Lower Oligocene, 35 million years ago. It was 1 to 2 meters tall and weighed almost 2 tons.

His nose was long, trunk-shaped. In both jaws, the incisors were developed and turned into fangs. In relation to its habitat, it lived in the water or on the shore of the lake or rivers.

Gomphotherium

This now extinct genus is made up of proboscidean mammals that lived at the beginning of the Miocene and the Pliocene. They inhabited the regions that currently make up Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.

Habitat and distribution

- Distribution

Previously, the Asian elephant inhabited from western Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It also lived in Southeast Asia, including Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, and in China, up to the Yangtze-Kiang. This range covered approximately more than 9 million km2.

Many of those populations are extinct, such as those in Java, western Asia, and most of China. Currently, Elephas maximus is found in fragmented populations, with a distribution area of ​​around 486,800 km2.

Thus, it is found in Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Nepal. It also lives in China, Sumatra and Kalimantan (Indonesia), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia (Malaysia), Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.

India and Sri Lanka

In India, the species is in four areas, northeast, center, northwest, and south. The northeast region spans from Nepal to western Assam, along the entire Himalayas. To the south, it is distributed in isolation in Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Manipur and in the Barak valley of Assam.

Central India has separate communities in the states of Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand. To the northeast, this species is found in six isolated populations, located at the foot of the Himalayas.

Relative to Sri Lanka, today Asian elephants are restricted to the lowlands in dry regions, with small populations in the Sinharaja area and in the Peak Wilderness.

Nepal and Bhutan

In Nepal, the Elephas maximus is restricted to some protected areas on the border with India: Royal Chitwan National Park, Royal Bardia National Park, Parsa Wildlife Reserve, and Royal Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, and their surroundings.

All the populations of this species that exist in Bhutan are found on the border with India.

Bangladesh and Myanmar

In Bangladesh, the Asian elephant is found in Chittagong and New Samanbag. This species has a wide distribution in Myanmar, but it is highly fragmented. Some of the areas where it lives include the Tenasserim Hills, Pegu Yoma and in the center of the country.

Thailand and Cambodia

In relation to Thailand, the species is in the mountains located on the border with Myanmar, with several small and fragmented populations to the south. In Cambodia, the Elephas maximus lives mainly in the mountainous areas in the southwest of the nation and in the Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces.

Lao People's Democratic Republic and Vietnam

In the Lao People's Democratic Republic (or simply Laos), Asian elephants are widely distributed in forested areas, both in the lowlands and in the highlands. Among the important regions where this species inhabits are Xaignaboli, Mekong, Nakai, Phou Phanang, Phou Xang He and Phou Khao Khoay.

Only a small population lives in Vietnam. In the southern and central areas of the country, they inhabit the provinces of Dak Lak, Quang Nam, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Dong Nai.

China and Malaysia

Previously, in China, this species was widespread in the south of the country. Today, it inhabits almost exclusively in Yunnan, specifically in Simao, Xishuangbanna and Lincang. In Peninsular Malaysia, it is distributed in the states of Pahang, Johor, Perak, Kelantan, Kedah, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan.

Borneo and Sumatra

Due to the limited location in Borneo, which is reduced to the northeastern lowlands, some specialists argue that such populations are introduced. However, genetic analysis shows that Bornean elephants are genetically different.

This could imply a colonization that occurred during the Pleistocene, together with a later isolation.

In Sumatra, Indonesia, small communities are heavily threatened. However, according to studies, this island is probably home to some of the largest populations that exist outside of India.

- Habitat

Asian elephants are generalist animals and are found in grasslands, semi-evergreen forests, tropical evergreen forests, dry thorn forests, and in moist deciduous forests. Also, they inhabit grasslands and secondary shrubs.

Within these ecosystems, they are located at heights ranging from sea level to more than 3,000 meters above sea level. However, in the eastern Himalayas, during the summer they could move above 3,000 meters above sea level.

State of conservation

Asian elephant populations have declined considerably, mainly due to habitat degradation. This situation has led the IUCN to categorize Elephas maximus as an endangered species.

- Threats

Loss of habitat

One of the main problems afflicting the Asian elephant is the fragmentation of the ecosystem where it lives. Man cuts down and degrades habitat, to convert land into human settlements and agricultural spaces. This affects the animal in various ways.

Thus, in the past, this species made seasonal migrations from Bhutan to the grasslands of India, in the wetter summer months. Then, in winter, they would return.

Currently, such movements are restricted, as a result of the loss of the ecosystem, in the region of India and the fragmentation of the habitat, in the area of ​​Bhutan.

Another threat to the Elephas maximus is conflict with humans. The elephant, due to the reduction of its home range, is forced to venture into the plantations, in search of food. This results in the man killing the animal, protecting his crops.

In addition, this species lives in regions of the world where the population density is high. Contrary to this, the animal, due to its morphological and nutritional characteristics, needs large spaces, where food and water abound.

This is why confinement to small patches in the forest or in protected areas does not solve the problem, but rather aggravates it.

Poaching

Hunting is also a problem for the Asian elephant, although to a lesser extent compared to the African elephant. This is because the Asian species has the smallest fangs or in some cases does not.

However, its capture is mainly associated with the commercialization of its skin and meat. The selective hunting of males, because they have fangs, affects reproduction, the perpetuation of the species and genetic variation.

- Conservation actions

Elephas maximus is listed in Appendix I of CITES. Conservation strategies are oriented towards the conservation of the elephant habitat and the need to maintain connectivity between them, guaranteeing the permanence of ecological corridors.

They also provide for legal protection of the species and the monitoring of compliance and application of the sanctions contemplated in the legislation.

Furthermore, monitoring of conservation interventions is imperative. This in order to make the necessary adjustments and to evaluate the success or failure of the actions implemented.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity in the Asian elephant occurs when it is between 10 and 15 years of age. The female is polyestric, with an estrous cycle that lasts about 14 to 16 weeks, and an estrus of 3 to 7 days.

In general, there is no established season for the reproductive period, so it could occur at any time of the year. However, in Sri Lanka, the vast majority of matings occur in the dry season, where rainfall is relatively low.

In this way, the hatchlings are born in winter, at which time the vegetation is reborn, thanks to the rains.

Courtship and copulation

The mating ritual in Elephas maximus is very varied. The male could touch with the tip of the trunk, the vulva of the female. Then he brings the trunk to his mouth, possibly so that Jacobson's organ picks up the scent.

Before breeding, elephants stand face to face, touch their mouths, and criss-cross their trunks. Also, they can circle, touching their genital areas. The male usually presses his chin on the female's shoulders or back.

For her part, the female could move away from the male, while he follows her, touching her back with her trunk. When the female stops, the male begins copulation.

During this process, the male mounts the female from behind, stretching his forelegs forward, reaching almost to the shoulders. Then it leans on its hind legs, almost sitting up. In the same breeding season, males may join more than one female.

Gestation and birth

The gestation period lasts approximately 22 months. When the time of delivery is near, the female becomes restless. The birthing process lasts a short time, it could take about an hour between the moment the contractions begin and when the baby is expelled.

Breeding

A few hours after birth, the calf is on its feet and begins to walk. Then he begins to suck milk from the mother's nipples.

During the first three months, the nutrition of the young depends exclusively on breast milk. From the fourth month he begins to eat herbs, thus decreasing the frequency with which he is breastfed. However, it could continue to be fed by the mother until another calf is born.

Feeding

Asian elephants are herbivorous animals and have a very varied diet. Some of the plant species that they consume are legumes (Fabaceae), grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae), palms (Palmae) and mallow (Malvales).

However, they can feed on more than 100 species of plants, including sugarcane, bamboo, tree roots, fruits, flowers, grains, seeds, and tree bark.

In Asian elephants there is a seasonal variation, as far as food selection is concerned. In some studies carried out in southern India, experts identified grass and reeds as the main foods during the wet season, while in the dry season, the preference is towards woody plants.

Feeding method

To access plant species, the animal can use its trunk, which collects the long grasses and introduces them into the mouth. When it comes to short grasses, Elephas maximus strongly kicks the ground, thus loosening the grass and its roots.

After that, he gathers a group of these plants and takes them with his trunk. As for the branches, it supports them with its front legs and with its trunk extracts the shoots and fresh leaves.

In the case that you want to eat the bark of the tree, you break a branch, using your forelimbs. Subsequently, he takes a piece with his trunk and brings it to his mouth, where the trunk rotates it between his teeth, thus separating the bark.

This species drinks water daily, using its trunk to suck up the water and then bring it to its mouth. Hatchlings under the age of five may approach the body of water directly and drink directly with their mouths.

In the event that water is scarce, the Asian elephant digs holes in the bed of the stream, to access the one that is there.

Behavior

The females of this species remain in their natal herd, while the males disperse. On the other hand, the size of the household range is variable. Thus, in Sri Lanka, the male usually occupies between 10 and 17 km2, while, in southern India, only three males cover 170 to 200 km2.

Furthermore, during the wet season, a herd of 23 females and their young have a range of approximately 25 km2 and in the dry season they occupy around 64 km2.

Social

The Asian elephant is a social animal. It communicates through vocalizations, smells, and touch. In relation to society, it is matriarchal, where family groups are made up of up to three females and their young. These could join temporarily with other clusters, around a lake or in an open area.

Also, they may clump together when they move from one area to another or around a particular food source. A study in Sri Lanka indicates that Elephas maximus can be grouped into lactation units, made up of mothers and suckling calves.

Likewise, they are united in juvenile care units, where the females and the older youth are.

When a group of elephants feel threatened, they generally organize themselves in a defense circle, placing the newborn calves and young at the center. After this, the matriarch of the pack goes to explore the terrain and investigate the predator that stalks them.

References

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