Difference Between Asian and African Elephants

Land mammals from the continent of Africa are known worldwide as elephants. Because of this, it is very common for people to get them mixed up with their Asian counterparts.

Though they belong to the same family, African and Indian elephants possess different physical attributes that distinguish one from another.

Asian Elephants

Elephas maximus, simply called Asiatic elephants, are species native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including Nepal in the north Sumatra, southwards through peninsular Malaysia, and into Borneo, where they range as far east as Java. There are three recognized subspecies: E. maximus, E. indicus, and E. sumatranus. The long trunk, which has single finger-like processes; huge male tusks; small ears folded outwardly unlike those of African elephants; and gray skin that is folded into wrinkles are some features that set apart an Asian elephant from any other type of this animal. The skin appears smoother than that of its African cousins but may lose pigmentation on parts like the trunk, neck, and ears, among others. Bulls weigh about 4 tons, while cows average 2.7 tons. In the world, it is one of only three still-living elephant or elephantid species-the other two being the African bush elephant and the African forest elephant-and the only living species of the genus Elephas. It is second in size to the African bush elephant. It typically inhabits grasslands, tropical evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, and dry thorn forests. They are herbivorous and might consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. Cows with calves are normally found in groups, while bulls tend to be solitary or form loose associations with other males. Males temporarily join female groupings during the mating season.

Asian elephants are the major living land animals in Asia. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List because its population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, which is estimated to be 60-75 years. The main threats to its survival are habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation; illegal hunting for ivory and trade in live animals; and human-elephant conflict. Elephants from Asia die very young when living in zoos. Their populations decrease since they give birth less often and more of them pass away. The first signs of captive use among Asian elephants were discovered on seals from the Indus Valley civilization around 3000 BC.

Evolution

The Asian elephant is the closest living relative of the extinct mammoths, belonging to the genus Elephas. The two groups are thought to have parted approximately 7 million years ago. Elephas evolved in Sub-Saharan Africa during the Pliocene era and spread over the continent before migrating into Asia's southern half. The earliest Elephas species, Elephas ekorensis, is known from the Early Pliocene of East Africa, approximately 5-4.2 million years ago. The oldest remnants of the genus in Asia are known from the Siwalik Hills in the Indian subcontinent, going back to the late Pliocene, around 3.6-3.2 million years ago, and attributed to the species Elephas planifrons. The modern Asian elephant is thought to have evolved from the species Elephas hysudricus, which first appeared around 2.6 million years ago at the start of the Early Pleistocene and is best known from Early-Middle Pleistocene remains discovered on the Indian subcontinent. E. m. asurus skeletal remains have been discovered in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, dating back to at least 1800 BC and certainly 700 BC.

Description

In general, Asian elephants are smaller than African bush elephants and have the highest body points on their heads. The rear is either convex or level. The ears are tiny, with the dorsal margins folded laterally. The feet have five nail-like structures on the forefoot and four on the hindfoot. Unlike African elephants, which have a flat front, the forehead features,two hemispherical bulges. Its long trunk or proboscis, has only one fingerlike tip, unlike African elephants which have two. As a result, the Asian species prefers to wrap around a food item and squeeze it into its mouth rather than hold it with the tip. Asian elephants have better muscle coordination and can do more complex activities.

African Elephants

African elephants belong to the genus Loxodonta, which includes two living species: the African bush elephant (L. africana) and the smaller African forest elephant (L. cyclotis). Both are social herbivores with gray skin, but their tusks vary in size and color, as do the form and size of their ears and skulls. According to the IUCN Red List, both species are at high risk of extinction; as of 2021, the bush elephant is endangered, and the forest elephant is critically endangered. They face threats such as habitat degradation and fragmentation, as well as poaching for the illegal ivory trade in numerous countries. Loxodonta is one of the Elephantidae's two extant genera. The term relates to the lozenge-shaped enamel on their molar teeth. Loxodonta fossils have been discovered in Africa dating back to the Late Miocene (about 7-6 million years ago).

Taxonomy

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach wrote the first scientific description of the African elephant in 1797, and he offered the name Elephas africanus. Frédéric Cuvier proposed the genus name "Loxodonte" for the African elephant in 1825. This name relates to the lozenge-shaped enamel of the molar teeth, which is very different from the spherical enamel of the Asian elephant. In 1827, an unidentified author utilized the Latinized spelling of Loxodonta. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature recognized Anonymous as an authority in 1999.

Paul Matschie postulated Elephas (Loxodonta) cyclotis in 1900, when he described three African elephant zoological specimens from Cameroon with skulls that differed in shape from elephant skulls collected throughout Africa. In 1936, Glover Morrill Allen said it was a different species and called it 'forest elephant'; other writers considered it a subspecies. However, morphological and genomic studies have shown that there are differences at the species level between African bush elephants and African forest elephants. In 1907, Richard Lydekker classified six sub-species of African elephants by their ear size and shape; all are synonyms for African bush elephant. A third species, the West African elephant, is suspected to exist but still needs confirmation; this lineage has been isolated for about 2.4 million years.

Phylogeny and Evolution

Loxodonta cookei is the oldest known species of Loxodonta, with remnants dating back around 7-5 million years from Chad, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. Nuclear DNA sequence analysis suggests that the genetic split between African bush and forest elephants occurred between 2.6 and 5.6 million years ago. The African forest elephant was discovered to have a high level of genetic variety, which could be attributed to frequent habitat fragmentation during Pleistocene climate changes. Gene flow between the two African elephant species was investigated at 21 places. The study discovered that certain African bush elephants inherited mitochondrial DNA from African forest elephants, indicating that they hybridized in the savanna-forest transition zone in ancient times. Despite the hybiridization at the contact zone, there appears to have been little effective gene exchange between the two species since their initial split.

The DNA of the European straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) shows that the ancient elephant species Palaeoloxodon is more closely connected to African elephants than to Asian elephants or mammoths. Analysis of the genome of P. antiquus also shows that Palaeloxodon extensively hybridized with African forest elephants, resulting in the mitochondrial genome and over 30% of the nuclear genome of P. antiquus being obtained from L. cyclotis, with this ancestry being closer to modern west African populations than to central African populations of forest elephants, with analysis of Chinese Palaeoloxodon mitogenomes suggesting that this forest elephant ancestry was widely shared among.

Description: Skin, Ears, and Trunk.

A male African bush elephant skull is on display at the Museum of Osteology. African elephants have gray, folded skin up to 30 mm (1.2 in) thick, which is covered in sparse, bristling dark-brown to black hair. Short tactile hair grows on the trunk, which has two finger-like processes at the tip, as opposed to one in Asian elephants. Their enormous ears help to cool the body; flapping them generates air currents and exposes the ears' inner sides, where large blood veins facilitate heat loss in hot weather. The trunk is a prehensile extension of the upper lip and nose. This very sensitive organ is predominantly innervated by the trigeminal nerve and is considered to be controlled by around 40,000-60,000 muscles. Because of this muscular structure, elephants' trunks can lift around 3% of their body weight. They use it to sniff, touch, feed, drink, dust, make noise, load, defend, and attack. Elephants occasionally swim underwater, using their trunks as snorkels.

Tusk and Molars

Both male and female African elephants have tusks that develop from deciduous teeth known as tushes, which are replaced by tusks when calves reach one year of age. Tusks are made of dentin, which creates little diamond-shaped structures in the center and grows larger at the edges. Tusks are largely utilized for digging roots and stripping bark from trees for food, fighting during mating season, and defending oneself against predators. Tusks range in length from 1.5 to 2.4 m (5-8 feet) and weigh between 23 and 45 kg (51 and 99 lb). They curve forward and continue to expand throughout the elephant's life. Elephants have four molars, each weighing around 5 kg (11 lb) and measuring approximately 30 cm (12 in) long. As the front pair wears down and falls out in parts, the back pair slides forward, revealing two new molars in the back of the mouth. Elephants replace their teeth four to six times throughout their lives. The elephant loses the last of its molars between the ages of 40 and 60 and most likely dies of malnutrition, which is a common cause of mortality. African elephants have 24 teeth in total, six in each quadrant of their jaw. There are fewer enamel plates on the molars than in Asian elephants.

Difference Between Asian and African Elephants

Conclusion

In summary, Asian elephants and African elephants, both are beautiful members of the Elephantidae family, exhibit some important distinctions in their physical traits and habitats. Asian elephants native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia are smaller in stature with twin-domed heads, smaller ears, smoother skin, and longer, tapering lower lips. They occupy varied forest types and grasslands, suffering problems such as habitat loss and human-elephant conflict. In contrast, African elephants, especially the bush and forest varieties, are larger with broader heads, larger ears reflecting the African continent, wrinkled and rougher skin, and 'loxodont' teeth. They range over African rainforests, savannas, and deserts, battling issues including poaching and habitat destruction. These distinctions in size, morphology, and habitat contribute to unique adaptations and conservation concerns for each elephant species.