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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about Asian elephants. The largest terrestrial animals in the world are elephants, and though Asian elephants aren’t quite as large as their African counterparts, they still top the size charts when compared to most other terrestrial animals weighing in at an average of 7,500 pounds (3,400 kilograms) and reaching more than eight feet (2.4 meters) tall - it would take more than ten Chesters standing on top of each other to reach that height!

Asian and African elephants can be told apart by looking at their ears - Asian elephants have smaller ears; their body shape - Asian elephants have a rounded back with their head occurring as the highest point on their bodies; their trunks - Asian elephants have only a single “finger-like” structure at the end of their trunks compared to the African elephant’s two; and their tusks - Asian elephant females don’t have tusks - sometimes males don’t have tusks either, but we’ll talk about that in just a bit!

Asian elephants may also be known as Asiatic elephants and their common names should give you a good indication of where they live. Currently, Asian elephants are speckled throughout South and Southeast Asia in pockets of populations, though they were once more widespread. Poaching for ivory in the tusks of males, persecution over crop destruction, and loss of habitat have all affected Asian elephant populations. Today their numbers are still declining, but efforts are in place to keep these gigantic mammals alive.

Asian elephants are important to the forest and grassland habitats around them. Not only do their big booties pave natural roads through forests which are utilized by smaller animals, Asian elephants also help disperse the seeds of plants they eat. In a single day, one Asian elephant eats about 250 pounds (113 kilograms) - that would be like a 150 pound (68 kilograms) person eating five pounds (2.3 kilograms) of food in one day, every day. Of course, the diet of Asian elephants differs from most humans.

As big animals, Asian elephants can easily overheat, so they spend the hottest parts of the day resting; however, most of their active time is spent either eating or finding things to eat. Asian elephants mostly consume grasses, but they’ll also happily munch on leaves, roots, twigs, bark and fruit - their love of fruit being a factor in why they butt heads with local farmers! Also, the wearing down of their teeth, of which Asian elephants have six sets in their lifetimes, than can cause them to be unable to eat later in life. On the other end of things, adult Asian elephants don’t really have to worry about being eaten by predators; their babies, however, are vulnerable to tigers. Thankfully, they have family to protect them.

Asian elephants form matriarchal family groups, and Asian elephant babies are raised solely by their mothers and their mother’s female relatives. The young elephants will nurse for up to four years and often stay with their mother’s group for at least a decade. Males will leave once they reach sexual maturity around fifteen years of age - they may form their own small groups of bachelors or live alone; and females will often stay in the group. Breeding can occur year round, but since a mother Asian elephant devotes so much time to her nursing calf, it can take five years before she’s able to become pregnant again, so available females may be limited.

Male Asian elephants will fight over females, using their tusks to spar; however, some Asian elephant populations have males that regularly grow tusks and others have populations in which neither the males or females grow tusks! Ultimately it’s the ladies who decide with whom they will mate. In the wild, Asian elephants may live to be fifty or older.

For more facts on Asian elephants, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Elephant Hennesssy, Zoo Lover, and Scott Bjorgum for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!