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<IMG SRC="../../media/mammals/asian_elephant.jpg" ALT="Asian (Indian) Elephant" WIDTH="212" HEIGHT="208" BORDER="0" ALIGN="left" HSPACE="8">
<FONT FACE="verdana,arial,helvetica" SIZE="6"><B>Asian Elephant</B></FONT>
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<FONT FACE="verdana,arial,helvetica" SIZE="2"><I>Elephas maximus</I></FONT>
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Asian Elephants mostly populate the rainforests of Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.
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From the ground to the shoulder, Asian Elephants measure about 10 feet (2.9m) high. They can weigh as much as 11,000 pounds (4989.5kg). Comparatively speaking, they are smaller and have smaller ears than African Elephants. Their trunk has only one "lip" or "finger." The tusks are about 4 - 5 feet (1.2 - 1.5m) for males, and females have really small ones that they are not noticeable.
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The elephants eat about 310 pounds (140kg) of food each day. Their favorites include grass, bamboo, bark, roots, and foliage. They also like bananas, rice, and sugar sugar cane.
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Asian Elephants care for each other. When one of them is sick or dying, the whole herd stands around that one to comfort it. They would stroke their trunks on it and refuse to leave it alone. Twice each year, males experience a condition called <A HREF="../glossary.html#musth" TARGET="eslist">musth</A>. Fluid would rush from glands to their eyes and ears. The musth makes the males more aggressive.
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The males sometimes fight for their mate. The winner gets the female. Once they are finished mating, the male leaves. Pregnancies last for 2 years. The calves are usually born during rainy seasons when food and water are plentiful. Other elephants gather around the pregnant female to help her give birth. The mother most of the time has only on calf. It weighs about 200 pounds (90kg) when it is born. The calf strolls along the mother's belly for the first year. Here it feels safe from danger. They grow really rapidly. By six years, they may weigh up to a ton (907.1kg). The young spend most of the time playing with other calves. They chase each other, throw sticks, or splash water around.
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The Asian Elephants now are <A HREF="../glossary.html#endangered" TARGET="eslist">endangered</A> because of <A HREF="../glossary.html#habitat" TARGET="eslist">habitat</A> loss. People are cutting down forests quickly in Asia. They either cut down trees to sell, or clear the land for farming, There may be less than 35,000 elephants left in the wild. To preserve these elephants, <A HREF="../glossary.html#conservationist" TARGET="eslist">conservationists</A> dig waterholes and replant more trees so that they can have food and water. In Malaysia, people are relocating the elephants to better and safer environment.
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<IMG SRC="../../media/maps/asian_elephant.gif" ALT="Map of Where Asian Elephants Are Located" WIDTH="320" HEIGHT="183" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="2" BORDER="0" ALIGN="right">
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<U>Bibliography</U>
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<LI>Harman, Amanda. <U>Endangered! Elephants.</U> New York: Benchmark Books, 1996.</LI>
<LI>World Conservation Monitoring Centre. <U>Endangered Mammals!</U> Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1996.</LI>
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[<A HREF="../esframe.html#es" TARGET="_top">Endangered Species List</A>] [ <A HREF="../slide/elephant_slide.html" TARGET="_top">Back to slide show</A> ]
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© 1998 Team 19689 - World Endangered Species
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