Asian Elephant

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scientific name

Elephas maximus

size/weight/height

Weight: 6,000 -14,000 lbs • males may weigh 14,300 lbs.
Height. 7-12 feet • reach maximum size at 25 yrs. old
Note. African elephants tend to be somewhat taller than their Asian counterparts, but generally they don't outweigh them • some people define "larger" by height, while others define it by bulk • where height is concerned, Packy = very large elephant!

adaptations/coloration

Feet: adapted to support great weight • stand on toes arranged in circle around spongy pad which cushions each step • zoo keepers trim feet bottoms (using same tools as those used to care for horses’ hooves) because elephants don’t wear them down as much as they would in the wild
Smell: no reliable data exist for estimation that elephant can smell others 3 miles away
Teeth: 4 molars (2 upper and 2 lower) • well adapted to grinding up branches • each tooth weighs ~9 lbs. • 6 sets teeth in lifetime
Teeth Structure: series of plates - front plates break off and tooth builds up from back - pushing front tooth forward and out
Trunk: role in communication, feeding, olfaction, chemo-communication, offense/defense • amazingly strong and flexible • can lift heavy logs or pluck single leaf from tree • when completely submerged in water, extends trunk above surface to breathe • touch, lift, trumpet and use to drink • sucks water part-way into trunk then squirts it into mouth • weighs about 400 lbs. • contains hundreds (some sources say 40,000) of  muscles. Oregon Zoo elephants have been observed to virtually empty a 5-gal container of water in one siphon - indicating that an elephant's trunk can accommodate between 4.5 7 5 gallons.
Tusks: a long incisor - length up to 5' - weigh up to 40 lbs. • only some males have • constantly growing and wearing down
Tusk Innervation: nerve extends down tusk ~1/3 of distance from lip to tip (tusk = that portion which protrudes beyond the rim of the sulcus)
Tusk or Tush?: tushes lack innervation • tushes are smaller than tusks • most females and many males have tushes. (Packy has tushes)

behavior

Food: may spend as much as 18 - 20 hours daily feeding

reproduction/lifespan

Average lifespan: 45 years
Sexual Maturity. males 8-12 yrs. • females 6-10 yrs. • but doesn't mean that elephants breed at these ages under wild conditions - in fact, breeding at these ages highly unlikely
Gestation. 630-660 days
Delivery/Birthing. upright position - rear-end first • height typically 32-36" (grows about 1"/mo.) • mother accompanied by other adult females ("aunties") that protect the young
Infant. 200-250 lbs. • gains 2.5-3 lbs. daily • nurses up to 5 yrs. (in wild) 

diet

herbivore

Wild:  bamboo, fruits (500 lbs. vegetation) leaves, shoots, reeds, grasses, up to 50 gal water
Zoo: vary with animal, its age, etc. • typically, adult cow might eat 1 bale (100 lbs.) of timothy hay, 20-80 lbs. produce (dependent upon availability), 1 gal rolled oats, 1.5 gal specially-formulated pelleted feed, 30-50 gal water, various vitamin and mineral supplements • bulls consume somewhat greater quantities of hay and grain   • Oregon Zoo keepers also dispense 2-6 cases of "treats" each day

habitat/range

variety of terrain • thick jungle to open grassy plains • Burma, Ceylon, India, Malaya, and as far east as Vietnam • Indigenous to areas of high altitude (e.g., Nepal)

status

US Endangered • CITES App I • SSP • critically endangered • Oregon Zoo holds Asian Elephant Regional Stud Book • Asian elephants' situation much more precarious than African counterparts • endangered primarily because of fatalities resulting from conflicts with human activities, such as agriculture • other threats: poaching, loss of habitat from human expansion • their feeding habits become destructive when confined in these small areas • does not, at present, apply to Asian elephants

population

Vietnam: under 200, according to currently available population statistics
Total estimated population worldwide: 35,000 individuals

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Elephants

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