Where Do Asian And African Elephants Live?
While we can deduce where Asian and African elephants live from their names, the truth is that Asia and Africa are very large continents. These mammals inhabit only specific regions, which we will indicate in this article.
Where do Asian elephants live?
Let’s start with the only representative of the Elephas genus – the others have been sadly extinct – who holds the title of being the largest mammal in all of Asia. It can be found in both wild and domestic environments – zoo and circus – and is considered to be endangered.
Asian elephants have a large head, barrel-shaped body, and strong rectangular legs. They are smaller than the African ones, but can measure between two and three meters.
Despite reaching five tons in weight, Asian elephants move with safety and agility, also in mountainous terrain. They can run at up to 40 km/h if they are scared or angry. Otherwise, they travel at about six kilometers an hour.
They live in herds made up of females, led by the eldest, who is called the matriarch, and her offspring. Males lead a solitary life and only approach the group during the breeding season.
These mammals are distributed in the south of the continent and we can find four subspecies (from Sri Lanka, Indiana, Sumatra and Borneo). They prefer tropical forests, where they find a lot of food, mainly leaves and fruits.
The original distribution of the Asian elephant extended from western Indonesia and southern China to the shores of the Persian Gulf. Today, it can be found in northeast Borneo, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, southern and northeastern India, Indochina, Malacca and Sumatra.
Where do African elephants live?
The genus Loxodonta is composed of two subspecies: savanna elephant and forest elephant. From their names, we can already see what their main habitats are.
The African Loxodonta is the largest terrestrial mammal that exists today, and is in a vulnerable state. Males can measure up to seven meters in height, and females reach three meters. The average weight is six tons and three tons, respectively.
Savannah elephants are herbivores, can be found in the forest, semi-desert or meadow, and feed on grass, leaves of trees or shrubs.
They are spread throughout almost all of Africa, mainly in the center of the continent and with greater presence in coastal countries. One of the most common places where you can see elephants is the Kruger National Park.
The second representative of the genus Loxodonta has a more limited presence, although with more “concentrated” populations, so to speak. Today, we can find them in southern Cameroon, southern Central African Republic, northern and central Republic of Congo, northern Congo and almost all of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
It is the smallest of the three types of elephants that exist, as it does not exceed 2.5 meters in height. Like Asian elephants, forest elephants have five nails on their front legs and four on their hind legs. Savannah Africans have four and three, respectively.
Elephants – both Asians and Africans – have their territories increasingly limited due to poaching for their prey, wars and the destruction of their natural habitat on both continents.
