Conservation status: ENDANGERED
Common Name: Asian elephant, Asiatic elephant
Scientific Name: Elephas maximus
Type: Mammal
Diet: plants
Length: 5.5 – 6.5 m
Weight: 2.7 ton
Although slightly smaller than their African cousins, the Asian elephants still exert a strong presence as the largest land mammal in Asia.
Asian elephants have rounded ears and use those ears to radiate heat to keep themselves cool. When that is not enough, they enjoy showering by sucking water into their trunks and spraying it over themselves. They also have a fingerlike feature on the end of their trunk that allows them to grab small items.
These magnificent beasts are commonly found in the jungles of Southeast Asia (except Brunei and Singapore). However, their population has dropped by at least 50 percent over the last 60 to 75 years. This decline is due to the same causes that threaten many other animals: habitat loss due to deforestation and poaching.
References:
- “Asian Elephant | National Geographic”. Nationalgeographic.Com, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/asian-elephant/.
- “Elephas Maximus (Asian Elephant, Indian Elephant)”. Iucnredlist.Org, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/7140/0.
Animals in South-East Asia 