Asian Elephant
Endangered animals of asia
Description
The Asian elephant is a large mammal with brown and gray skin. They have rough skin to protect against bugs, two ivory tusks, and a long trunk to protect themselves and grab objects. They can grow from 6.6 to 9.8 ft. tall, weigh from 2.25 to 5.5 tons, and grow to 21 ft long. These colossal animals communicate through rumbles, growls, bellows, and moans. In addition, despite their size, Asian elephants can walk silently and are one of the few animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror. They also have the largest brain of all land mammals and can pick up a single blade of grass with their trunk. Plus, they have 40,000 muscles in their trunk, which is more than all the muscles in a human's body!
(Nat Geo), (PP)
Habitat
Asian elephants live in forests, grasslands, and mountains, and can be found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Southern China. They live in a tropical climate in blocks of forests near water sources. They tend to travel in herds, but some can be found alone.
(SNZP), (PP)
Food chain
Asian elephants are herbivores who mostly eat grass, bark, leaves, etc. They find their food in teak forests, cool mountain forests, adjacent grasslands, and farm areas. They do not hunt other animals, and even though they have no natural predator, they are prey to humans who hunt them for their tusks.
(SNZP), (PP)
Adaptation
To protect themselves, Asian elephants use their trunk to hurl things at the predator and have tough skin to defend against insects. They are so large that they can even stomp on enemies. They also use their tusks and can be aggressive when attacked.
There are several ways they have adapted to get food. Their trunks are long enough to grab food from trees, and then the elephants use their molars to eat it. They travel in herds or clans in search of food. Their movement varies on food availability.
(SNZP), (PP)
Threats and conservation efforts
However, many people are trying to help the elephants. They are trying to preserve the Asian Elephant's habitat, and are attempting to manage human activity. They are also trying to better protect the species through more law enforcement.
(RL), (the elephant), (PP)
An Asian elephant with its baby. (PP)
Asian elephants taking a bath. (PP)
An Asian elephant in action. (PP)
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Citations
- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/muzina_shanghai/148655933/">muzina_shanghai</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24256658@N06/6344348820/">tomosuke214</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
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- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmozzie/495963149/">sarahchats</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/-mbender/8547443187/">Missud</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24256658@N06/7150912619/">tomosuke214</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/-mbender/7929033016/">Missud</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmozzie/500611928/">sarahchats</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
- photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lookingthroughtheglass/5579439527/">LookingThroughTheGlass</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>