Indian Elephant
Conservation status
Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Proboscidea Family: Elephantidae Genus: Elephas Species: E. maximus Subspecies: E. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Proboscidea is an order containing only one family of living animals Elephantidae the Elephants with three living Species ( African Bush Elephants ( family: Elephantidae) are large land Mammals of the order Proboscidea. Elephas is one of two surviving genera in the order of Elephants Proboscidea. The Asian or Asiatic Elephant ( Elephas maximus) sometimes known by the name of one of its subspecies &ndash the Indian Elephant, is one of m. indicus
Trinomial name
Elephas maximus indicus Cuvier, 1798

An elephants named Sri Hari during Sree Poornathrayesa temple festival, Thrippunithura. In biology trinomial nomenclature refers to names for taxa below the rank of species Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Sree Poornathrayesa temple is situated in Tripunithura, Kerala, the capital of the former Indian state of Cochin. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Thrippunithura is a city and a Municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian

The Indian Elephant, Elephas maximus indicus, is one of 19 subspecies of the Asian Elephant, the largest population of which is found in India. In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species. The Asian or Asiatic Elephant ( Elephas maximus) sometimes known by the name of one of its subspecies &ndash the Indian Elephant, is one of India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country This subspecies is also found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma Peninsular Malaysia ( Semenanjung Malaysia) also known as Malaya or West Malaysia, is the part of Malaysia which lies on Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially

The other three subspecies of the Asian Elephant are the Sumatran Elephant (E. The Sumatran Elephant ( Elephas maximus sumatrensis) is a Subspecies of the Asian Elephant. m. sumatranus), Sri Lankan Elephant (E. The Sri Lankan Elephant ( Elephas maximus maximus) is the nominate Subspecies of the Asian Elephant and is the largest of the subspecies although smaller m. maximus)^[1] and Borneo Elephant (E. The Borneo Elephant, also called the Borneo Pygmy Elephant, ( Elephas maximus borneensis) is a Subspecies of the Asian Elephant and found m. borneensis).

Habitat

Indian Elephants live in or near scrub-forested areas, although their habitat may vary. They tend to be nomadic in nature and do not stay in one place for more than a few days. They can live in jungles but gravitate towards areas that contain open space and grass.

Physical characteristics

The Indian Elephant is up to 6. 4 metres (21 feet) long; it is taller and thinner than the Asian elephant found in Thailand. The largest Indian Elephant was 27ft (7. 88m) long, stood 11ft, 9in (3. 61m) at the arch of the back, and weighed 8 tons (17935 lbs). ^[2] Indian elephants look similar to African elephants but they have smaller ears and shorter tusks. African elephants are the species of Elephants in the Genus Loxodonta, one of the two existing genera in Elephantidae. A tusk is an extremely long Incisor Tooth of certain Mammals that protrudes when the Mouth is closed They are also the only elephant to be used by humans. Elephants ( family: Elephantidae) are large land Mammals of the order Proboscidea. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus .

Population & Endangerment

The WWF considers the Indian Elephant widely distributed, but endangered. The current population of the Indian Elephant is in the range of 20,000-25,000^[3]. The Indian Elephant was assessed as an endangered species in 1996 by the Asian Elephant Specialist Group. ^[4] Indian Elephants are threatened by poaching for the ivory of their tusks, by the loss of habitat due to human pressure on forested areas and due to human conflict. The isolated populations of wild elephants in individual wildlife sanctuaries are also threatened by loss of genetic diversity. Recently a number of corridors connecting wildlife sanctuaries have been established to encourage the migration of wild elephants. ^[5]

See also

• Asian Elephant
• Elephants in Kerala culture

References

• Shoshani J, Eisenberg JF (1982) Elephas maximus. The Asian or Asiatic Elephant ( Elephas maximus) sometimes known by the name of one of its subspecies &ndash the Indian Elephant, is one of The Elephants of Kerala are an integral part of the daily life in Kerala, South India. Mammalian Species 182: 1–8. Full text
• Animal Diversity. Elephas maximus.
• Honolulu Zoo Indian Elephant

External links

• Paintings of Indian Elephants