Indian Elephant Photo © Emily Brickell

Indian Elephant Elephas maximus

The Indian (or Asian Elephant) differs in many ways from its African relative - they are smaller in size and their ears are smaller, and the back of the Indian elephant is more rounded making the crown of the head the highest point of the body. The African species has a two-fingered tip to its trunk, while the Indian Elephant has only one 'finger'. The tusks of the male Indian Elephant are more curved and thicker than those of the African.

Indian elephants once roamed through much of Asia south of the Himalayas, extending west into China and south to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. However, loss of habitat, hunting over hundreds of years, and human encroachment have significantly impacted on their numbers. There are now estimated to be less than 50,000 Asian Elephants surviving in the wild and populations are restricted to isolated pockets of land. Because of the burgoening human population in India, elephants and humans are often in conflict particularly in food-producing areas. Indian Elephants use traditional feeding routes and prefer a mixture of grassland and forest where they forages for grasses, bamboo, legumes, bark, succulent climbers and palms.

The Indian elephant is classified as Endangered by IUCN (See IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for more information on the classification of the Indian Elephant).

Indian Elephant. Photo © Emily Brickell

Help Protect the Indian Elephant and Other Wildlife in India

The World Land Trust's Elephant corridor In India protects elephants and other wildlife from becoming isolated by creating protected areas between reserves. Please help secure their future by supporting the Elephant Corridor Project.

More Information about Indian Elephants and Their Habitat

• Read more about India and Indian Elephants reclaim vacated land here.
• Find more information on the Indian Elephant on ARKive: Images of life on Earth