Asian Elephant

Elephas maximus maximus

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Asian Elephant

“ People don’t realize how amazing elephants are. ”

– Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Synapsida

Class: Mammalia

Order: Proboscidea

Family: Elephantidae

Genius: Elephas

Species: Elephas maximus

Species: Elephas maximus maximus

Descendant: Elephas ekorensis

Named by: Carl Linnaeus

Year Published: 1758

Size: 5.5 – 6.5 m long in length; 2.8 m tall in height; 4,000 kg in weight

Lifespan: 20 to 80+ years

Activity: Diurnal 🌅

Thermoregulate: Endotherm

Type(s):

Synapsids
- Mammals (Proboscideans)

Title(s):

Nose Mouse

Pantheon(s):

Terran/Gaian 🇺🇳
- Sri Lankan 🇱🇰

Time Period: Pliocene – Holocene, 2.5–0 Ma

Alignment: Neutral

Threat Level: ★★★★★

Diet: Herbivorous 🌿🍂🍊

Element(s): none

Inflict(s): Waterblight 🌊, Rockblight 🪨, Sundered 💔, Stench 💩, Mudded 🟤

Weakness(es): Fire 🔥, Water 🌊, Rock 🪨, Air 🌬️, Electric ⚡, Leaf 🌿, Ice ❄️, Metal 🔩, Dark 🌑, Light 🔆, Arcane ✨, Fae 🧚

Casualties: ???

Based On: itself

Conservation Status:

Earth: Endangered (EN) − IUCN Red List
Berbania: Near Threatened (NT) – IUCN Red List
Reinachos: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List
Delphia: Endangered (EN) − IUCN Red List
Sawintir: Near Threatened (NT) – IUCN Red List

The Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) also known as the Asiatic Elephant, is the only living species of the genus Elephas and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the north, Sumatra in the south, and Borneo in the east.

The Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) is native to Sri Lanka and one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant. It is the type subspecies of the Asian elephant and was first described by Carl Linnaeus under the binomial Elephas maximus in 1758.

Etymology

The word elephant is based on the Latin elephas (genitive elephantis) 'elephant', which is the Latinised form of the ancient Greek ἐλέφας (elephas) (genitive ἐλέφαντος (elephantos)), probably from a non-Indo-European language, likely Phoenician or Hittite 𒆷𒄴𒉺𒀸 (laḫpaš, “ivory”). It is attested in Mycenaean Greek as e-re-pa (genitive e-re-pa-to) in Linear B syllabic script.

Physical Appearance

The largest subspecies is the Sri Lankan elephant, which weighs between 2,000 and 5,500 kg (4,400 and 12,100 lb) and has a shoulder height of between 2 and 3.5 m (6 ft 7 in and 11 ft 6 in). There are 19 pairs of ribs. Its skin is darker than that of sumatranus and indicus, and it has larger, more noticeable depigmentation spots on the face, ears, belly, and trunk. Generally speaking, women are smaller than men. Makhna refers to 90% of males without tusks. Only 7% of males have tusks that reach a maximum length of 1.8 m (6 ft) and a maximum weight of 35 kg (77 lb). Millangoda Raja had the biggest tusks, measuring 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m).

While analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences does not support the Sri Lankan subspecies identification, analysis of allozyme loci does. A tiny Sri Lankan elephant was spotted in Udawalawe National Park in July 2013. In a confrontation with a younger bull, it was the primary attacker despite being over 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall and having shorter legs than normal.

Abilities

The Sri Lankan elephant is intelligent, has a remarkable memory, learns social skills, solves problems, and is able to use tools (such as branches for scratching and fly swatting). These elephants can swim rather well. They can use their trunks as snorkels, swim for hours, and float easily because of body fat. Sri Lankan elephants recognize their own kind, express empathy, grieve the dead, and communicate across great distances using infrasonic cries. Sri Lankan elephants may trek great miles every day in search of food and water, and they are powerful enough to topple trees.

Ecology

Sri Lankan elephants are crepuscular; they are classified as megaherbivores. They are generalist feeders and are both grazers and browsers. Cows and calves move about together as groups, while bulls disperse from their mothers upon reaching adolescence. Bulls are solitary or form temporary "bachelor groups." Rarely, tigers have been recorded attacking and killing calves, especially if the calves become separated from their mothers, stranded from their herd, or orphaned. Adults are largely invulnerable to natural predation. There is a singular anecdotal case of an Asian mother elephant allegedly being killed alongside her calf; however, this account is contestable. Elephants are crucial ecosystem engineers because they shape the structure of plants, spread seeds, and make trails in forests. Elephants travel seasonally between different types of forests and require extensive home ranges.

Bulls will fight one another to get access to estrous cows. Strong fights over access to females are extremely rare. Bulls reach sexual maturity around the age of 12–15. Between the ages of 10 and 20 years, bulls undergo an annual phenomenon known as "musth." This is a period where the testosterone level is up to 100 times greater than non-musth periods, and they become aggressive. Secretions containing pheromones occur during this period from the paired temporal glands located on the head between the lateral edge of the eye and the base of the ear.

Reproduction

Gestation: ~22 months (longest of any land animal).
Calves:
Usually 1 calf
Weigh ~100 kg at birth
Sexual maturity:
Females: ~10–12 years
Males: ~15 years
Musth in males:
- Period of heightened testosterone
- Increased aggression and dominance
- Important for breeding competition

Behavior

The Sri Lankan elephant lived in matriarchal herds of related females and their calves and was very gregarious, emotional, and cooperative. Elephants spend most of their day feeding, walking, washing, and interacting with one another. Male elephants leave the herd at puberty and live alone or in informal male groupings. Elephants are neutral creatures and will attack creatures and survivors when hit. Elephant or mammoth calves will also fight back if provoked, though they do not attack as directly as adults due to their "parent-following" rule.

In Sri Lanka, elephants are closely associated with Buddhism, Hinduism, pre-Hinduism, royal heritage, and festivals like the Kandy Esala Perahera. It is not cultural appropriation to use Sri Lankan elephants in scientific, cultural, or educational situations. However, there are issues with exploitative tourism practices employing temple elephants or "elephant rides," misuse or disdain of Sri Lankan religious symbols, and commercializing sacred iconography without comprehending cultural significance.

Threats and Conservation

Major Threats

Habitat loss and fragmentation due to agriculture and development.
Human–elephant conflict:
- Crop raiding.
- Retaliatory killings.
- Elephant deaths from electrocution, shooting, and train collisions.
Illegal capture for tourism or temples.
Genetic isolation due to shrinking habitats.
Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of human–elephant conflict in the world.

Conservation Status

IUCN: Endangered (EN)

Conservation Actions

Elephant corridors to connect fragmented habitats
Protected areas
Reducing human–elephant conflict (electric fences, early-warning systems)
Regulations on captive elephant ownership

Distribution and Habitat

Asian elephants inhabit grasslands, tropical evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and dry thorn forests, in addition to cultivated and secondary forests and scrublands. Asian Elephants formerly ranged from West Asia along the Iranian coast into the Indian subcontinent, eastwards into Southeast Asia including Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and into China at least as far as the Yangtze-Kiang.

The Sri Lankan elephant was an indigenous species that was exclusive to Sri Lanka. The provinces of North Central, Eastern, Uva, and Sabaragamuwa have the highest concentrations of this elephant. Dry-zone evergreen forests, grasslands, scrublands, and forest-savanna mosaics are their primary habitats. They utilize a range of lowland habitats rather than dense montane forests.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People" or Terrans from Earth brought the Asian elephant to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Reinachos from Cygnus and Berbania from Ursa Major. Despite the death of our planet, this species is recovering from endangerment or near extinction thanks to conservation initiatives. Human interactions for game hunting and rewilding produced this species, but they backfired when the elephant became an invasive species. The Asian elephant inhabited two exoplanets that were similar to Earth in terms of climate and environment.

Movement Pattern: Random
Individual Type: Solo/Herd
Population Trend: Decreasing
Population: ???
Locomotion: Amphibious
Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests, Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain.
Earth:
- Extant (Resident): Bangladesh; Bhutan; Cambodia; China; India; Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatera); Laos; Malaysia (Sabah, Peninsular Malaysia); Myanmar; Nepal; Sri Lanka; Thailand; Vietnam
- Extinct: Japan, Pakistan, Philippines (Sulu; Zamboanga de Sur)
Berbania/Hirawhassa:
- Extant & Introduced (Resident): Chiosathra; Hirohito Islands

Tamed

Elephants and mammoths are tamed by feeding them ten sugar lumps or five cakes or twelve kibbles in Rapunzel's world. This only works on calves; if the calf is an adolescent or has grown into an adult, it will not accept the food. When the calf has accepted the food items, the naming screen will appear, and it will become tamed to the player.

Asian elephants were not acceptable nor permitted as pets in our universe. These factors include the need for a vast amount of space (tens of kilometers), the need for approximately 150–200 kg of food and more than 100 liters of water per day, the social nature of the species, the psychological stress caused by isolation, and the fact that they are dangerous and challenging to control. Strict regulations and trained mahouts are necessary for captive elephants.