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ElephantAsian
Bruna Barretto
ElephantAsian
Elepants
© november 2009
Direitos desta edição reservados
ao Serviço Nacional de
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1ª edição: outubro 2009
Introduction
Background
A Species that needs space
Physical Description
Size
Habitat
Matriarchal System
Breeding
Diet
Population and Distribution
Current Population
Threats
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15
16
18
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ElephantAsian
6 � Elephant
Asian Elephant � 7
HabitatTropical and Subtropical
Moist Broadleaf Forests,
Tropical and Subtropical Dry
Broadleaf Forests
Population25,600 to 32,750 individuals
Height and LengthBody length - ranges from
550 to 640 cm; Shoulder
height from 250 to 300 cm
Scientific NameElephas maximus spp
StatusEndangered (IUCN A2c);
CITES: Appendix I
Skin colourDark grey to brown, with
patches of pink on the
forehead, the ears, the base
of the trunk and chest
WeightUpto 5,000 kg
8 � Elephant
Background
Although many thousands of domesticated Asian elephants
are found in Southeast Asia, this magnificent animal is
threatened by extinction in the wild: in the face of rapidly
growing human populations, the Asian elephant’s habitat is
shrinking fast.
Wild elephant populations are mostly small, isolated, and
unable to join as ancient migratory routes are cut off by
human settlements. Confrontations between elephants and
people often lead to deaths on both sides, and poaching for
ivory, meat and hides is still a widespread problem.
A species that needs space
Through the Asian Rhinos and Elephants Action Strategy
(AREAS), WWF is working throughout
the Asian elephant range to conserve
the remaining populations and their
habitats. And because these large
animals need a lot of space to survive,
WWF considers the Asian elephant a
‘flagship’ species, whose conservation
would help maintain biological
diversity and ecological integrity over
extensive areas.
Physical Description
The Asian elephant is the largest
terrestrial mammal in Asia. It is smaller
than the African elephant (Loxodonta
africana), with relatively smaller ears,
Asian Elephant � 9
and the head (not the shoulder) is the highest part of
the body. Asian elephants have a single “finger” on the
upper lip of the trunk, while African elephants have a
second on the lower tip.
Only some male Asian elephants carry tusks;
females have small tushes, which seldom show. But a
significant number of adult males are tuskless, and the
percentage of males carrying ivory varies by region
(possibly reflecting the intensity of past ivory hunting),
from only about 5% in Sri Lanka to 90% in south India.
Asian elephants are almost hairless, with the few
sparse ones being long, stiff, and bristly.
Asian elephants keep their ears in constant motion in
order to radiate the heat they generate and therefore
cool themselves. The species are reported to have well
developed hearing, vision, and olfaction, and are also
fine swimmers.
Size
The total body length of Asian elephants ranges from
550 to 640 cm, and shoulder height from 250 to 300
cm. Males can weigh up to 5,000 kg.
Colour
The skin colour of Asian elephants is dark grey to
brown, with patches of pink on the forehead, the ears,
the base of the trunk and chest.
10 � Elephant
Habitat
Major habitat typeTropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests,
Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Biogeographic realmIndo-Malayan
Range States India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China,
Malaysia (Peninsular and Borneo), Indonesia (Borneo
and Sumatra)
Ecological RegionSouthwestern Ghats Moist Forests, Sri Lankan Moist
Forests, Northern Indochina Subtropical Moist
Forests, Annamite Range Moist Forests, Sumatran
Islands Lowland and Montane Forests, Kayah-Karen/
Tenasserim Moist Forests, Peninsular Malaysian
Lowland and Montane Forests, Borneo Lowland
and Montane Forests, Eastern Deccan Plateau Moist
Forests, Naga-Manupuri-Chin Hills Moist Forests,
Cardamom Mountains Moist Forests, Indochina
Dry Forests, Chhota-Nagpur Dry Forests, Eastern
Himalayan Broadleaf and Conifer Forests, Terai-Duar
Savannas and Grasslands, Mekong River, Western
Ghats Rivers and Streams, Salween River, Sundaland
Rivers and Swamps.
Asian Elephant � 11
Why is this species important?
Sacred but exploited, the Asian
elephant has been worshipped for
centuries and today is still used for
ceremonial and religious purposes.
Not only is it revered for its role within
Asian culture and religion, it is also a
key biological species in the tropical
forests of Asia.
Domesticated elephants are found
throughout South and Southeast
Asia and are trained as working
animals. Their ability to work in
rugged country makes them valuable
in forestry operations, while in India
most Forest Department-owned
elephants are now used for patrolling
and anti-poaching work, especially
during monsoon season.
Introducing the ‘matriarchal’ system
Asian elephants are found in scrub
forest and they favour areas with grass,
low woody plants and trees.
Social StructureAsian elephants are extremely sociable,
forming groups of 6 to 7 related females
that are led by the oldest female, the
‘matriarch’. Like African elephants, these
groups occasionally join others to form
herds, although these associations are
relatively transient.
12 � Elephant
Life CycleYoung Asian elephants are reported to stand soon
after birth and can follow their mother in her daily
routine after a few days. After several months, the
calf begins to eat grass and foliage although it may
nurse occasionally for about 18 months. It stays under
supervision of its mother for several years, but begins
making independent movements at 4 years.
By 7-8 years of age, the young may form subgroups
or associate briefly with older bulls. Growth slows in
females at 10-12 years, in males at 15 years, and full size
is attained at about 17 years.
Both sexes may become sexually mature at as early as
9 years, but males usually do not reach sexual activity
until 14-15 years, and even then they are not capable
of the social dominance that usually is necessary for
successful reproductive activity. There have been some
reports of elephants living over 100 years.
Breeding
When the habitat conditions are favourable, female
elephants may give birth to a calf every 2.5-4 years,
otherwise every 5-8 years. Asian elephants give birth
to one calf weighing 50-150 kg.
DietMore than two thirds of the day may be spent feeding
on grasses, but large amounts of tree bark, roots,
leaves and small stems are also eaten. Cultivated crops
such as bananas, rice and sugarcane are favoured
foods. Because they need to drink at least once a day,
the species are always close to a source of fresh water.
Asian Elephant � 13
Usually, elephants do not feed for more than a few days in a
given location. Adults eat approximately 150 kg net weight
per day.
Population and distribution
Previous Population and DistributionThe Asian elephant, whose ancestors originated in Africa
some 55 million years ago and ranged from modern Iraq
and Syria to the Yellow River in China, is now found only
from India to Vietnam, with a tiny besieged population in the
extreme southwest of China’s Yunnan Province.
A pygmy species of Elephas, E. falconeri, occurred on certain
Mediterranean and Aegean islands in the late Pleistocene
and early recent epochs. More than 100,000 Asian elephants
may have existed at the start of the twentieth century.
Current Population and Distribution Killed for their ivory, meat, and bone, and
for their live young, Asia’s last remaining
elephants continue to decline in number in
the face of poaching and habitat destruction.
As recently as 1995, only 25,600 to 32,750
Asian elephants were thought to remain in
the wild. Since then, several populations have
dwindled still further, and scientists fear that
current populations may have fallen well
below 1995 estimates.
About a further 16,000
elephants are held in captivity
throughout Southeast Asia
while there are thought to
be approximately 6,000
domesticated elephants in
Myanmar alone.
Asian Elephant � 15
Threats
Conflict, loss of land and hunting
The continually growing human population
of tropical Asia has encroached upon the
elephant’s dense but dwindling forest
habitat. About 20% of the world’s human
population lives in or near the present range
of the Asian elephant.
Fierce competition for living space has
resulted in human suffering, a dramatic loss
of forest cover, and reduced Asian elephant
numbers to around 25,600 to 32,750 animals
in the wild.
Asian elephant populations are highly
fragmented, with fewer than 10 populations
comprising more than 1,000 individuals in
a contiguous area, greatly decreasing their
chances for survival.
Most of the National Parks and reserves
where elephants occur are too small to
accommodate viable elephant populations.
The conversion of forested areas to
agricultural use also leads to serious
elephant-human conflicts. In India, up to 300
people are killed by elephants each year.
Habitat loss and fragmentation In the face of rapidly growing human populations,
the Asian elephants’ habitat is shrinking fast and
wild elephant populations are mostly small, isolated,
and unable to mingle as ancient migratory routes
are cut off by human settlements.
16 � Elephant
Large development projects (such as dams, roads, mines
and industrial complexes), plantations and spreading human
settlements have fragmented what was once contiguous
elephant habitat into small fragments.
A substantial proportion of the world’s population live in or
near the present range of the Asian elephant, which leads
to elephant-human conflict. Incidents of elephants raiding
crops and villages are on the rise. This causes losses to
human property and, sometimes, human lives. Retaliation by
villagers often results in killings of these elephants. Experts
already consider such confrontations to be the leading cause
of elephant deaths in Asia.
In some countries, the government provides compensation
for crop damage or deaths caused by elephants, but there
is still often strong political pressure on wildlife authorities
to eliminate elephants near populated regions. As human
populations increase, elephant-human conflicts are likely to
rise. Experts already consider such confrontations to be the
leading cause of elephant deaths in Asia.
Illegal hunting and trade
In Asian elephants, only males carry tusks and therefore
poaching is aimed exclusively at males. Selective removal
of tuskers for their ivory may lead to an increase in the
proportion of tuskless males in the population.
Poaching of Asian elephants for ivory and meat remains a
serious problem in many countries, especially in southern
India (where 90% of the bulls are tuskers) and in north-east
India where some people eat elephant meat. From 1995 to
1996, poaching of Asian elephants for hide, meat and ivory
increased sharply. The illegal trade in live elephants, ivory
and hides across the Thai-Myanmar border has also become
a serious conservation problem.
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Esta revista foi composta em Gills Sans MT, tipologia
desenhada por Eric Gill em 1926, uma fonte
humanista sem-serifa.; e Sabon LT projetada por Jan
Tschischold em 1966 baseada nas fontes feitaas por
Claude Garamond no século XVI.
Impresso em papel couché matter, pela gráfica J.
Sholna, em novembro 2009.
ElephantAsian
Bruna Barretto