African Elephant vs. Asian Elephants

Many people think that all elephants are the same. That's not the case there are tons of different species of elephant but the two most commonly recognized and basically the only ones are African and Asian elephants.

African Elephants:

 Both males and Females grow tusks, they have large ears and can grow well over 12ft. They are usually found in deserts or forest areas. They travel in herds ranging in size from 12 to 20 elephants. In some cases they will break down into smaller groups but always keep contact with one another, Males don't stick around unless they have a mate, they usually break out of the group to start their own herd. Females are the complete opposite they stick with the same herd and are very social. They are said to be very expressive and use "verbal" and "non verbal' communication. They are said to be excellent mothers. they can carry offspring for up to  22 months. When a calf is born it's a big celebration in the herd.  Their diet can very from trees, plants, and fruits, they don't digest some foods very well and can constantly be chewing throughout the day. They don't have any predators besides humans which are the reason elephants have a small population.

Asian Elephants:

They are a smaller elephant. They do have a large body but have small ears, males will grow tusks while females do not. They are much smaller then African elephants in weight and height. Asian elephants are found in places like Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It said there are only 40,000 left in the wild. They are very social with each other and create bonds within the herd, they will do everything together. Play time is very common within the herd, they are said to be great parents and show compassion and love toward their offspring. Plants are their basic source of food and for the young milk and an occasional plant will get the job done. When it comes to mating Asian elephants will wait til later in life to mate. Females will wait from age 14-25 years old. Males can wait up til 50 years of age to find the right mate. Again, humans are one of the only serious threats to elephants. Generally elephants are friendly and social animals.