Indian Elephant female (Elephas maximus)
A long trunk, tough tusks and big ears are bold features of this lowly leaf-eater.
Elephants can consume over five hundred pounds of food per day.
- Conservation Status: Endangered (EN)
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Global Home:
Asia and Australia
Asia and Australia
- Primary Habitat: Savanna
Indian elephants look similar to African elephants but have shorter tusks and smaller ears. Although they do not stay in one spot for more than a few days, the habitat of this elephant varies but is often close to areas of scrub-forest. Indian elephants live in family groups that are composed of between two and ten elephants. As with the African elephants, the matriarch is in charge and ensures that all in the herd follow the social customs of the community. Experts believe that elephants have large brains. These mammals are able to imagine how others in the herd are feeling and remember information such as differentiating between individuals, recalling the experience of a drought, or knowing where the best feeding places are.