Asian elephant
Scientific name: Elephas maximus
Subspecies: Indian, Sri Lankan and Sumatran
Conservation status: Endangered
Home ranges: Southeastern Asia, including India, Thailand, Nepal, Sumatra, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Borneo, Vietnam, Bangladesh and China. They inhabit grasslands, different types of forests and scrublands. They can live at altitudes ranging from sea level to more than 9,800 feet.
Physical Characteristics: Largest living land mammal in Asia. Their forehead has two hemispherical bulges; their back is convex; and they have five toes on each forefoot and four on each hind foot. Their trunk has one finger-like tip.
Average size: 8.2-13 feet tall; up to 24 feet long
Average weight: 8,000 pounds
African savannah elephant (also called African bush elephant)
Scientific name: Loxodonta Africana
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Home ranges: Sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola and Ethiopia. The elephants move among a variety of habitats, including grasslands, forests, woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land from sea level to mountain slopes. In Mali and Namibia, there are small populations of elephants who also live in desert areas.
Physical Characteristics: Largest living land mammal in Africa. Their backs are concave and their trunks have two finger-like tips. Their skin appears loose with parallel folds, which create maximum surface area for heat disbursement. The savannah elephant has large ears that are pointed and triangular shaped whose shape resembles the African continent.
Average size: 8.2-13 feet tall at the shoulder; up to 24 feet long
Weight: 8,000 pounds
African forest elephant
Scientific name: Loxodonta cyclotis
Home ranges: West Africa and the Congo River Basin, including Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon and Democratic Republic of the Congo. They live in evergreen moist deciduous forests and rainforests.
Conservation status: Endangered
Physical Characteristics: Smallest of the three living elephant species. Their ears are rounder and tusks straighter than the savannah elephant’s.
Height: 5.9-9.8 feet at the shoulder; 3-10 feet long
Weight: 4,000–8,000 pounds
