Indian elephant

The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is one of three extant recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, native to mainland Asia. The species is smaller than the African elephant species with a convex back and the highest body point on its head. The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism with a male reaching an average shoulder height of about 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in) and weighing 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) whereas a female reaches an average shoulder height of about 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) and weighs 2,700 kg (6,000 lb). It has a broader skull with a concave forehead, two large laterally folded ears and a large trunk. It has smooth grey skin with four large legs and a long tail.

The Indian elephant is native to mainland Asia with nearly three-fourth of the population found in India. The species is also found in other countries of the Indian subcontinent including Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and South East Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with small populations in China. It inhabits grasslands, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests across the range. The species is classified as a megaherbivore and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. They consume a variety of diet depending on the habitat and seasons and might include leaves and twigs of fresh foliage, thorn-bearing shoots, flowering plants, fruits and grass.

Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the wild population has declined by at least 50% over the last three elephant generations. The species is threatened by environmental degradation, habitat loss and fragmentation. Poaching of elephants for ivory is a serious threat in some parts of Asia. Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India to protect elephant habitats and population.

The Indian elephant is a cultural symbol throughout its range and appears in various religious traditions and mythologies. The elephants are treated positively and is revered as a form of Ganesha in Hinduism. It has been designated the national heritage animal in India and is the national animal of Thailand and Laos.

The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is one of three extant recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant. Carl Linnaeus proposed the scientific name Elephas maximus in 1758 for an elephant from Ceylon. Elephas indicus was proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1798, who described an elephant from India. Frederick Nutter Chasen classified all three as subspecies of the Asian elephant in 1940.

In general, the Asian elephant is smaller than African elephant. Its back is convex or level with the highest body point on its head. The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism with a male reaching an average shoulder height of about 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in) and weighing up to 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) whereas a female reaches an average shoulder height of about 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) and weighs up to 2,700 kg (6,000 lb), with specimens rarely exceeding 3.2 m (10 ft) and 5,400 kg (11,900 lb) in males and 2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) 4,160 kg (9,170 lb) in females. The largest Indian elephant was 3.43 m (11.3 ft) high at the shoulder. On average, it measures 5.5–6.5 m (18–21 ft) in length including the trunk.

It has a broader skull with a concave forehead and two dorsal bulges on the top. Two large laterally folded ears and a large trunk with one finger-like process are attached to the head. It has 20 pairs of ribs and 34 vertebrae. There are four large legs which are almost straight with broader toes and with five nail like structures on each foreleg and four on each of the hind-legs. The large legs help support the larger weight for longer periods without spending much energy with the broad feet helping to cushion against hard surfaces. It has a long tail measuring on average 1.2–1.5 m (3 ft 11 in – 4 ft 11 in) in length. The skin color is generally grey and lighter than that of E. m. maximus but darker than that of E. m. sumatranus. The skin is generally smoother than that of the African species and might consist of smaller patches of white depigmentation or grey spots. The body is covered by brownish to reddish hairs which reduce and darken with age. The female is usually smaller than the male with short or no tusks. There are about 29 narrow cheek teeth.

The Indian elephant is native to mainland Asia with nearly three-fourth of the population found in India. The species is also found in other countries of the Indian subcontinent including Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and South East Asian countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with small populations in China. It is regionally extinct in Pakistan. It inhabits grasslands, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. The total estimated wild population ranges from 23,000 to 41,000 individuals across the range. As per the 2017 census, the estimated wild population in India was 27,312 individuals which account for nearly three-fourths of the extant population.