One of the 3 elephants on WAnimals
Mammals · Proboscidea · Elephantidae
Elephas maximus
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
Smaller than its African cousin and with smaller ears, it has historically been venerated and tamed across South and South-East Asia.
Weight
2 t – 5 t
Size
5.5 m – 6.4 m
Life expectancy
60 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Herd
Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.
Estimated population
Between 48,323 and 51,680 wild animals according to the national estimates compiled for the IUCN assessment published in 2020; more than 60% live in India
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web · A-Z Animals · Wildlife Navigator · AnAge (genomics.senescence.info) · NAHF (Elephas maximus indicus) · PMC (artificial insemination study) · Elephant World · Williams et al., evaluación de 2019 publicada en 2020, IUCN Red List: reducción inferida de al menos el 50 % en tres generaciones (60-75 años) · IUCN Red List, evaluación de Elephas maximus publicada en 2020 (Asian Elephant Specialist Group)
Best time: December to March
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 27.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Asian Elephant — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The asian elephant is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG) work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
Visit the the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG) websiteIt's documented in 8 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about asian elephant.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
