Elephants are widely distributed. About 40 million years ago, all continents except Oceania and Antarctica had their footprints, but now there are mainly two categories of Asian elephants and African elephants.
Classification of Elephants.
Asian Elephant.
Many Asian elephants in Southeast Asian countries have been domesticated by humans as livestock for horseback riding, circus performances or labor.
African elephant.
The sharp decline in the number of African elephants is mainly caused by two factors. First, rapid population growth in Africa and the development and destruction of forests and grasslands have led to shrinking wildlife habitats and environmental degradation.
As a result, the natural mortality rate of elephants has skyrocketed.
Second, in the past, Africans hunted elephants mainly for their meat and hides. However, after the 1970s, ivory became the main source of people hunting elephants.
Morphological characteristics.
Their main external features are their flexible and muscular proboscis and large scalloped ears, which are powerful tools for self-defense and feeding.
Asian Elephant.
Asian elephants are 2 to 4 meters tall at the shoulder and weigh 3 to 5 tons. Asian elephants are the largest of the Asian mammals. Asian elephants are dark grey or brown with loose fur.
Elephant ears are large, rich in blood vessels to dissipate heat, and have brushes on top. Compared to African elephants, Asian elephants are smaller in size, with smaller ears and flatter foreheads.
The whole body is gray-brown, and there are two large bumps on the left and right of the forehead, which are called "intelligence tumors". The highest point is on the top of the head, but it has a small brain.
African elephant.
African elephants are 3 to 4 meters high at the shoulder and weigh 5.5 to 8 tons.
The average African forest elephant is no more than 2.7 meters tall at the shoulder and weighs 3.5 tons. The head of the elephant is huge, the ears are as big as a fan, and the limbs are as thick as columns, supporting the huge body, and the knee joints cannot flex and extend freely.
The nose is almost as long as the body, cylindrical, and can be freely retracted.
The recent catastrophe about elephants.
Hundreds of elephants died of unknown causes in Botswana's Okavango Delta between May and June 2020. National Park Rescue co-founder Mark Healy called the death "one of the biggest disasters affecting elephants this century".
Elephants have a very high IQ, equivalent to that of a four- or five-year-old human. According to records, elephants have long become friends of humans and can provide assistance to humans.
They are our friends, so be sure to treat them well.
