Scientific Name:
Elephas maximus

Status:
Endangered

Distribution:
India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Borneo, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam

Habitat:
Thick jungles to grassy plains

Diet:
Wild-grasses, bark, leaves, roots, vines, shrubs, cultivated crops (such as bananas and sugar cane); in the zoo-hay, grain, fruit and vegetables

Length:
5.5-6.40m

Weight:
2 ½ -6 tons (2.3-5.4 t.)

Reproduction:
Gestation is 21-23 months. Newborn calves weight about 235 lbs (107 kg) and nurse for about 2-3 years. Cows mature at 9-12 years, bulls at 10-17 years. Throughout her life, a cow elephant may produce only 4-5 young.

Longevity:
An animal’s lifespan depends on its family history, health and the quality of their habitat. In the wild, an elephant’s life span is usually determined by teeth wear. It will grow six sets of teeth during its lifetime. When the last set wears away, the elephant will eventually starve. In captivity, because of good food and health care, elephants can usually live longer lives than in the wild. As opposed to loosing their last set of teeth, elephants in zoos usually die from complications brought on by old age. A study published in the journal Zoo Biology (Volume 23, Issue 4) in 2004 found that the average life expectancy for female Asian elephants in professionally managed zoological facilities is 47.6 years in Europe and 44.8 in North America. Calculations for African elephants are less robust due to less available data. The current female African elephant life expectancy in professionally managed zoological facilities is 33 years, but researchers say that number is likely to increase with more data, as it has increased over the past 10 years. All of these life expectancy values are similar to the life expectancy of wild elephants for which data are available.

General Description:
Height is 6-9 ft (1.8-2.7 m). The trunk is an elongated nose with the nostrils at the end. It serves as a "hand" to grasp objects and help the elephant feed or spray cleansing dirt or water over its body.

Behavior:
Elephants eat about 300 lb (136 kg) of vegetation daily.

Did you know? Females usually do not have tusks. Asian elephants are used as draft animals, for transportation and hunting purposes. These elephants have been classified as endangered, due to killing for their ivory and habitat destruction, since 1978. It is estimated that only 35-50,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. Staff and volunteers at the El Paso Zoo are working to help protect elephant habitat in Sumatra. Visit the links on the right hand side of this page to get involved.

Where can you find them? Zoos and natural habitats across their range. There are over 15,000 captive elephants in Asia working in agricultural areas and as tourist attractions. The Asian elephant is the most common elephant species seen in the circus.

Savannah and Juno

Savannah was born in the wild in 1952 and came to the El Paso Zoo in February of 1997. Juno was also born in the wild in 1967 and until she came to the El Paso Zoo April of 2002, she grew up in the circus. There are two different types of elephants, Asian and African. They have specific physical differences. One of the most noticeable differences is the ears. The Asian species has relatively small ears compared to the larger ears of the African elephant. Their ears are shaped in the form of the African continent and cover half of their backs. Another difference is their size. Asian elephants can reach heights between 8 to 10 feet tall, while African elephants reach heights between 10 to 13 feet. Savannah and Juno are approximately 8 feet tall. Asian elephants can weigh 6,000 to 11,000 lbs (3-51/2 tons). African elephants may weigh as much as 9,000 to 12,000 lbs (5-61/2 tons)! Our girls weigh approximately 8,500lbs each.

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