Endangered Animal Species Blog

Today's Endangered Animal Species:

Elephants are the largest living land animals, with adults sometimes weighing six tons or more. Of the two species, the African elephant is larger and more plentiful than the Asian elephant. But both are threatened by shrinking living space and poaching for the ivory trade.
Modern elephants are the last survivors of the old and varied "trunked" family of mammals that once ranged the entire planet. These heirs of such mighty creatures as the extinct mastodon and mammoth and occupy a unique place in their habitat in Africa and Asia. As huge and powerful consumers, elephants are considered to be a keystone species in their environment, affecting biodiversity in the regions they inhabit. They open up areas of forest where light-dependent plants can take hold, for example, creating habitat for grazing animals. Such elephant roadways also act as fire breaks or drainage conduits and are littered with partially digested, ready-to-germinate seeds conveniently fertilized in elephant dung. The wells elephants dig in search of water are used by virtually all other wildlife in a given region, particularly during periods of drought. On the other hand, elephant activity can also be seen as destructive, particularly under the pressures of human landscape transformation that force the animals into smaller areas. As habitat shrinks, their voracious appetite can bring them more frequently into conflict with people.

Of the two species, the African Elephant is larger and more plentiful than the Asian Elephant, although both are threatened by shrinking living space and poaching for the ivory trade. There are 300,000 to 600,000 African (in 37 range countries) and 35,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants (in 13 range countries) left in the wild.



African elephants, the earth's largest land animals, can be up to 11 feet wide at the shoulder, have an average length of 20-25 feet and weigh more than six tons. Their potential life span is approximately 60 years. Both male and female African elephants have tusks, which can be straight or curved upward. Tusks first appear at age two, they continue to grow throughout an elephant's life, and are used when feeding, in social encounters as instruments of display, or as weapons. African elephants have saddle-shaped backs and two prehensile finger-like projections at the tips of their trunks.


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Asian elephants mostly inhabit Asian tropical forests and use their gray coloration to conceal themselves in their shady habitat. Female Asian elephants usually lack visible tusks, as do males in some populations, such as those in northeast India. Wide, padded feet enable them to walk quietly. Large, flappable ears help these huge animals cool off, although elephants often must retreat to the shade or water during the hottest part of the day. Asian elephants grow up to 21 feet long, stand up to 10 feet tall, and weigh up to 11,000 pounds - smaller than their African counterparts. Even smaller are Sumatran and Bornean elephants which are more diminutive than the elephants in mainland Asia. Females reach around eight and a half feet tall and weigh less than males. Asian elephants can live to be 60.
Asian elephants have been tamed as beasts of burden for about 4,000 years. Most elephants recruited for such work as hauling and lumber are still taken from the wild.

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Interesting Facts:

1. Among their many uses, elephants' trunks sometimes serve as snorkels, allowing submerged swimming elephants to breathe as they cross deep rivers or lakes. 2. Elephants' closest known relatives are dugongs and manatees, hyraxes, and aardvarks. 3. Asian elephants have been tamed as beasts of burden for about 4,000 years. Most elephants recruited for such work as hauling lumber are still taken from the wild. 4. The Asian elephant is distinguished from the African elephant in that the Asian elephant has considerably smaller ears, the forehead is flat and the top of the head is the highest point of the animal. On the African elephant, the ears are large, the forehead is more convex, and the back more sloping, so the shoulders are the highest point. Both sexes of the African elephant have tusks, while female Asian elephants do not have tusks.