The elephant occupies a very important place in Indian culture. great place, and this is due not only to the fact that he is the largest animal, but also to his intellectual qualities and character traits, and excellent memory elephants are proverbial.
Elephant as a symbol
For India, the elephant is, first of all, a symbol of the wisdom of kindness, it is a very auspicious symbol, so images of elephants can also be found as an element of decoration in temples, in home decorations; a favorite among tourists, the sandalwood elephant also brings good luck. And of course, elephants are depicted on clothes; the elephant motif is one of the favorite patterns of Indians; you can see it on printed fabrics and in embroidery.
But the elephant is also the personification of strength, power and royalty, it was in this capacity that rulers used it, and for this reason elephants are often depicted in palaces.
Elephants in the life and history of India
Airavata is the progenitor of all the elephants of the world, and about him own birth there are 2 legends. The first says that when the gods and asuras churned the world, 9 jewels began to rise from it, one of which was a white elephant. This origin is also indicated by his name Airavata, which means “son of Iravanti”, and “iravant” means “drink”, “ocean” (B.L. Smirnov’s dictionary for the Bhagavad Gita). The second myth says that Airavata and 7 other elephants were born from the shell of Brahma’s world egg, and they became the guardians of the 8 cardinal directions.
The most famous deity of Hindu mythology associated with elephants is the Hindu god Ganesha, he has the head of an elephant, but please do not believe that Ganesha is an elephant, he is not. Legend says that a little boy Ganesha was guarding his mother's chambers when he came, who did not know about his existence. In general, Shiva cut off the child’s head, and when it turned out who was who, they had to urgently attach the head of another creature to the body, so they attached the head of a small elephant, I posted a short cartoon on the topic of this myth. Otherwise, Ganesha is a completely anthropomorphic god and he is also the god of wisdom and knowledge; he is often depicted at his feet
Elephants living in India differ from those living in Africa primarily in size. The mass of the Indian elephant does not exceed 5 tons, and its height reaches 2.5-3 meters. If the African elephant is famous for its tusks, then the elephant from India has much smaller ones, the largest in males are 1.5 meters long, weighing from 20 to 25 kg. If there are no tusks at all, then this elephant is called Makhna.
Elephants are different and anatomical structure. The ears of the Indian elephant are small, elongated, and pointed at the ends. The trunk is not the same as African elephant. In the same way, you can find differences in other organs, for example, molars, vertebrae - there are different numbers of them. In the wild, elephants live in the Northeast, East and South of India. East Pakistan, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Nepal, Laos, Malacca, Ceylon and Sumatra are also habitats. 
Indian elephants refer to animals that, like , are protected by law. But, nevertheless, for the harm caused to agriculture, they are often destroyed local residents. Even Ceylon, which has always been famous big amount elephants, today cannot boast of this - there are only 2500 of them there. And in India there are no more than 5000 of them left, which is also quite small. 
Indian elephant, unlike the African, is a forest dweller. He loves light forests, especially with undergrowth in the form of bamboo thickets.
Currently, the favorite place of elephants, where they went during cold spells - the savannah - has been taken over for agriculture. It was preserved only in protected areas, of which there are few left. 
IN summer time elephants go to the mountains, rise high into the Himalayas, to the border eternal snow. The Indian elephant, which lives in the wild, is characterized by family groups of 10-20 individuals. Although you can find an elephant living alone, and huge herds numbering more than 100 animals. In the herd, the overwhelming majority are females - approximately 50%, males - about 30%, and the rest are young elephants. 
The leader of the herd is a female – old and experienced. She leads the other animals, who obey her unquestioningly. Elephant reproduction does not depend on the time of year. The mating period, which lasts about three weeks, can be determined by the arousal of male elephants: the gland, which is located between the eye and ear, secretes a black secretion. In India, this condition is called must and the animal is considered dangerous to others during this period - the Indian elephant is aggressive and is ready to attack even a person. 
The gestation period for a female lasts from 20 to 21.5 months; usually one baby elephant is born weighing up to 90 kg - of course, not comparable to a calf, but still quite large.
The lifespan of elephants is 60-70 years, sexual maturity occurs at the age of 8-12 years.
The Indian elephant is easy to tame and make into a helper. Elephants in India, unlike African elephants, are obedient, trainable and do an excellent job. They are used for riding in difficult, swampy areas. A special saddle is placed on the elephant’s back and it can carry up to 4 people. The elephant driver is located on the animal's neck.
African elephant and Indian elephant are representatives different types one family of elephants. As close relatives, they have much in common, but at the same time their differences are obvious even to a non-specialist: the animals differ not only in appearance, but also in their behavior.
Many people love elephants - both adults and children. These huge and strong animals exude reliability and inner peace. Unfortunately, the once large family of elephants has been practically destroyed, and today only two species remain on earth - the Indian and African elephants. But not everyone knows how to distinguish them from each other.
Surprisingly, these two representatives of the same family - the Indian and African elephants - have such obvious differences that biologists have classified them as certain species. Even in appearance, the animals are very different and this is noticeable even in the photo.
Comparison of African and Indian elephant: sizes
And we will start with the most obvious indicator, which is obvious even to a person far from biology. It is known that there is no larger land inhabitant on Earth than the elephant. Which elephant do you think is bigger - Indian or African? Of course, an African resident is larger than his Asian relative and is the most large mammals on the land. The height of this giant at shoulder level reaches four meters. And the length of the body in some cases exceeds seven meters. The giant's weight is up to seven tons.
Indian elephants, in comparison with their counterparts, look simply “baby”: their height does not exceed three meters, their length is about six meters, and their weight rarely exceeds five tons.
Body outline
Even in the outlines of the body you can see the differences between the Indian elephant and the African elephant. The “African” has a straight or slightly concave back. The “Asian” has a convex one. The Indian elephant has thicker and shorter limbs and therefore looks heavier. The African elephant simply needs long legs, since he eats only the foliage of trees, for which he has to reach quite high, and his fellow from Asia often feeds on some food from the ground.
Skeleton
Now you know the answer to the question of which animal - the Indian or African elephant - is larger, so when you come to the circus or zoo, you can easily determine their species. But these giants also have some peculiarities. internal structure, which are not visible to a person far from biology. The fact is that the African elephant and the Indian elephant have differences in their skeletal structure. The first has twenty-one pairs of ribs, the second only nineteen. The African elephant has thirty-three vertebrae in its tail, while the Asian elephant has twenty-six.
Skin covering
Another indicator by which it is easy to understand how the African elephant and the Indian elephant differ: the skin of the “African” is covered with numerous wrinkles, and the smooth surface of the body of the Asian animal is covered with small hairs. There are also differences in skin color: the Indian giant is much darker than its African counterpart. The first has brown or dark gray skin, while the second has gray skin, sometimes even with a brown tint.
Ears
Representatives of these species differ in the length and shape of the ears. The nature of the “African” endowed him with large, elongated, somewhat rounded ears, while the Asian elephant got smaller ears: they are more elongated and pointed.
Tusks
The male African elephant is endowed with luxurious tusks (in females they are slightly smaller). And the Indian elephant has tusks, but the females are completely devoid of them. The native of Africa has a curved tusk and in males reaches three and a half meters in length. The “Asian” has it much shorter and, moreover, almost straight.
trunks
And even the trunk - characteristic feature These animals - the African and Indian elephants have different structures. In both animals they have processes that are shaped like fingers. True, there are two of them on the trunk of an elephant from Africa, but only one from India.
Indian elephant habitat
Unlike its African counterpart, the Indian elephant is a forest dweller. He loves light forest, especially with a small undergrowth of bamboo thickets. Today, the favorite place of these animals, where they went when the air temperature dropped, is the savannah, which is reserved for agriculture. In the summer, animals go to the mountains, rise to the Himalayas, to the border where eternal snow lies.
Indian elephants living in natural conditions, create family groups that can number up to twenty individuals. The leader in such a group is an old and experienced female. Indian elephants are obedient animals, easy to train and excellent at work. A special saddle is placed on the animal’s back, which can accommodate up to four people.
Where does the African elephant live?
The African giant prefers to settle in the steppes of Africa and Egypt. Representatives of this species live in Ceylon, India, Burma, and Indochina. Animals unite in herds, the number of which can reach fifty individuals.
There are also solitary elephants. As a rule, these are quite aggressive individuals that can pose a danger to other animals. There is a fairly friendly atmosphere in the herd, the elephants take care of their offspring and support each other. Elephants are able to show emotions and quickly remember people, objects, and places.
An African elephant eats up to one hundred and thirty kilograms of food per day (fruits, leaves, tree bark) and spends most of its time searching for food. These giants sleep no more than four hours a day. As a rule, they settle near bodies of water and drink almost two hundred liters of water a day. African elephant, despite impressive size, is an excellent swimmer who can swim long distances.
Behavior
The African elephant and the Indian elephant differ in their disposition. Representatives Indian species more friendly towards people, it is not difficult to tame them. It is their residents Asian countries used to perform heavy physical work, for example, when transporting large, heavy items. And in the circus, Indian elephants often demonstrate their skills to us.
The African elephant quite often shows aggression and it takes a lot of effort to train it, although this task cannot be called impossible.
These mammals are distinguished by a language of communication that is completely understandable to humans. When an animal is “not in the mood” or is aggressive, it spreads its ears. For defense, tusks, trunk and powerful legs are used. When an elephant senses danger or is frightened by something, it squeals and runs away, destroying everything in its path.
Species status
Once upon a time the herd African elephants reached four hundred individuals. Nowadays, the numbers of all species are rapidly declining and the animals are included in the International Red Book. Both species are on the verge of extinction. Scientists believe that the main reason for this is the destruction natural environment habitat of these giants. They are listed in the Red Book: African in the “Endangered” section, Indian in the “Threatened” section.
No matter how different these huge animals are, we must not forget that they are in dire need of human help. Only he can take measures to save these animals from extinction. Otherwise, one day people will simply lose these smart and powerful helpers.
- Did you know that among elephants there are “right-handed” and “left-handed”? Determining which category an animal belongs to is quite simple: by the length of the tusks. A shorter one indicates belonging to one category or another.
- Ivory is very expensive, so animals die en masse at the hands of poachers. Despite the fact that trade in this material is now prohibited in most countries, up to a hundred animals die annually at the hands of humans.
- Elephants have four molars. Each of them, the size of a brick, weighs two to three kilograms. Molars are replaced six times during a lifetime.
- The trunk is the connection between the nose and upper lip, which the elephant breathes, showers, drinks, smells and makes sounds, contains one hundred thousand muscles. With it, the animal lifts objects weighing up to a thousand kilograms and carries them tens of kilometers.
Indian elephants are smaller in size than African ones savannah elephants, however, their sizes are also impressive - old individuals (males) reach a weight of 5.4 tons with a height of 2.5-3.5 meters. Females are smaller than males, weighing on average 2.7 tons. The smallest subspecies is from Kalimantan (weight about 2 tons). For comparison, the African savannah elephant weighs from 4 to 7 tons. The body length of the Indian elephant is 5.5-6.4 m, the tail is 1.2-1.5 m. The Indian elephant is more massive than the African elephant. The legs are thick and relatively short; the structure of the soles of the feet is reminiscent of that of the African elephant - under the skin there is a special springy mass. There are 5 hooves on the front legs and 4 on the hind legs. The body is covered with thick wrinkled skin; Skin color ranges from dark gray to brown. The skin thickness of the Indian elephant reaches 2.5 cm, but is very thin inside ears, around the mouth and anus. The skin is dry and has no sweat glands, so caring for it is an important part of an elephant's life. By taking mud baths, elephants protect themselves from insect bites. sunburn and fluid loss. Dust baths, bathing and scratching on trees also play a role in skin hygiene. Indian elephants often have depigmented pinkish areas on their bodies, giving them a spotted appearance. Newborn elephant calves are covered with brownish hair, which fades and thins with age, but even adult Indian elephants are more covered with coarse hair than African ones.
Just as people are right-handed and left-handed, different elephants the right or left tusk is more often used. This is determined by the degree of wear of the tusk and its more rounded tip.
In addition to tusks, an elephant has 4 molars, which are replaced several times during their life as they wear out. When replaced, new teeth grow not under the old ones, but further on the jaw, gradually pushing the worn teeth forward. An Indian elephant's molars change 6 times during its life; the latter erupt at about 40 years of age. When the last teeth are worn down, the elephant loses the ability to eat normally and dies from starvation. As a rule, this occurs by age 70.
Distribution and subspecies
In ancient times, Asian elephants were found in South-East Asia from the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia (45° E) to the Malay Peninsula, in the north reaching the foothills of the Himalayas and the Yangtze River in China (30° N). They were also found on the islands of Sri Lanka, Sumatra and, possibly , Java. In the 16th to 19th centuries, the Indian elephant was still common across much of the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and eastern parts of its former range.
Currently, the range of Indian elephants is highly fragmented; in the wild they are found in the countries of the Indo-Malayan biogeographic region: South and Northeast India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Southwestern China, Malaysia (mainland and on the island of Borneo), Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra) and Brunei.
Subspecies
There are four known modern subspecies of the Asian elephant:
Sri Lankan elephants
Hybrids of Asian and African elephant
Lifespan
In nature, Indian elephants live up to 60-70 years, in captivity - up to 80 years. Adult elephants do not have natural enemies(except for humans); elephant calves can be attacked by tigers and Indian lions.
Population size and status
Throughout history, people have hunted elephants, first for their meat and later for their tusks. With the arrival of Europeans, the extermination of wild Indian elephants for ivory, protection of crops and anthropogenic change habitat conditions sharply reduced their numbers and reduced their range. The habitat has turned into a series of isolated areas confined to remote or protected areas. The range and number of wild elephants began to decline especially sharply in last decades XX century due to the expansion of agricultural land and eucalyptus plantations, which are used as the main raw material for the paper and pulp industry in Southeast Asian countries. In addition, elephants began to be destroyed as pests Agriculture, despite existing protection laws. Female Asian elephants have been largely unaffected by ivory harvesting (due to the lack of tusks), so poaching has not led to such drastic declines in elephant numbers as in Africa. However, the reduction in the number of males overall resulted in a severely skewed sex ratio, which had serious demographic and genetic consequences.
The total number of all subspecies of wild Asian elephant is estimated to be:
| Year | Number (individuals) |
|---|---|
| 1900 | OK. 200,000 |
| Late 1970s | 25,000 - 36,000 |
| 1978 | 28,000 - 42,000 |
| 1983 | 30,000 - 40,000 |
| 1984 | Less than 50,000 |
| 1990 | 34,000 - 56,000 |
| 1991 | 30,000 - 55,000 |
| 1995 | No more than 50,000 |
| 1997 | 35,000 - 50,000 |
| 2003 | 30,000 - 40,000 |
| 2005 | 35,000 - 50,000 |
Working elephant in India
The first law on the protection of elephants (Elephants" Preservation Act) was adopted in India. According to it, a wild elephant could be killed by a person only in self-defense or to prevent harm. Since then, the Asian elephant has been included in the International Red Book as a species , close to extinction ( Endangered). It is also listed on Appendix I of CITES. Currently, the Indian Foundation The Wildlife Trust of India, together with the World Land Trust, is implementing projects to create unique “corridors” running along the traditional migration routes of wild elephants, which will connect isolated parts of their range in the Indo-Burmese region.
In general, the reasons for the decline in Asian elephant numbers boil down to persecution due to crop damage, hunting (mainly for ivory and meat) and degradation environment due to increasing anthropogenic pressure on natural landscapes(including due to deforestation). Many elephants die in road accidents when colliding with vehicles. According to some estimates, the wild Asian elephant population is declining by 2-5% each year.
Elephants, like any large animal, are potentially deadly to humans. Lone wandering elephants and females with cubs are especially aggressive.
Meaning for humans
Taming Elephants
The Asian elephant in captivity is quickly tamed, is amazingly easy to train and can subsequently perform complex work. For centuries, elephants in Southeast Asia were used as riding, draft and pack animals, most often in logging operations, where elephants acted as “live cranes”, carrying and loading cut tree trunks. However, nowadays technological progress and rapid mixing forest areas made the traditional “profession” of the Asian elephant almost unnecessary. They continue to be used as mounts, especially in areas impassable to motor vehicles.
Photo from 1916. Using an elephant as a traction force
Although Asian elephants reproduce well in captivity, the work used mainly captured and tamed wild elephants. Young animals could be used on the farm only from the age of 7, and for the heaviest - only from 12 years. Wild animals over 30 years old were practically impossible to train, so during round-ups they were released.
Tamed elephants have long been used as fighting strength. The elephants were playing important role and in the culture of the Indian subcontinent. In the major religions of India, Hinduism and Buddhism, these animals (especially white ones) occupy an important place and traditionally participate in religious ceremonies. The most famous processions are in Kerala, where temple elephants in rich decoration carry statues of gods. In general, having long been revered, Asian elephants were not destroyed as barbarously as African ones.
Elephant - symbol positive character- used in Asia as a royal mount and highly prized for its intelligence and cunning. White elephant, who heralded the birth of Buddha, became a symbol of the liberator of people from the shackles of earthly existence. In Hinduism, Ganesha, the god of literature and wisdom, has the head of an elephant. IN Ancient China The elephant was also a symbol of strength and intelligence. And in the Western ancient world, an exotic animal was seen as an attribute of the god Mercury - the embodiment of hereditary wisdom and non-aggressive power.
Thanks to its longevity, the elephant symbolizes overcoming death. Medieval books extol the chastity of elephants. They are often found on images of heaven and on coats of arms (after crusades). In 1464, the Order of the Elephants was formed in Denmark. The white elephant was the symbol of the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand). In China, they believe that riding an elephant in a dream means happiness.
Indian elephants in culture and art
Famous elephants
Epitaph of Hanno
Abul Abbas
Abul Abbas is a white Asian elephant given by the Baghdad caliph Harun-Al Rashid to Emperor Charlemagne in 798. The journey from India to Germany lasted several years, and the gift arrived to Charlemagne in Aachen only in 802, June 1.
Hanno
Sketches of Hanno's elephant by Raphael
The elephant Hanno belonged to Pope Leo X. This white Asian elephant was presented to the Pope by the Portuguese King Manuel I. Hanno was brought to Italy by ship from Lisbon in 1514. By that time the elephant was about four years old. At first the elephant was kept in a belvedere, and then a special elephant enclosure was built for him next to St. Peter's Cathedral.
Hanno became a favorite of the papal court. He often took part in ceremonial processions. However, the elephant did not live long - he died on June 8, 1516.
The memorial frescoes with the elephant were painted by Raphael Santi (the frescoes have not survived), and Pope Leo X himself wrote the text of the epitaph for the elephant.
Suleiman
Elephant Suleiman, engraving
The Asian elephant Suleiman was given as a gift by the Portuguese King João III to Prince Maximilian (who later became Emperor
Indian elephant / Elephas maximus
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The Indian elephant belongs to the mammals of the order Proboscis. This is the largest animal from terrestrial mammals Asia. Of all the animals in the world, it is second in size only to the African elephant. The weight of adult male Indian elephants can reach 5.4 tons, and the height at the shoulders can be up to 3 m. Unlike the African elephant, the Indian big tusks are present only in males, and they are 2-3 times smaller than in African ones, rarely reaching a length of 1.5 m and a weight of 20-25 kg. Among Indian elephants, males without tusks are quite common. Such elephants are called makhna in India. The ears of the Indian elephant are much smaller, they are somewhat elongated downwards and strongly pointed. |
Indian elephant |
India is a country with ancient culture and a rich history. The Indian elephant is an integral part of this story. Morning fogs cover green hills, mountains and deep rivers. Although modern civilization is inexorably advancing on the world wildlife, there are still places in India where human civilization has not reached and animals rule there. In the north-eastern part of the Hindustan Peninsula there is a corner where the last herds of wild animals still live wild. These are buffalos, Indian rhinoceroses and of course Indian elephants. Wild and beautiful water meadows animal world owes to one of the highest rivers in Asia - the Brahmaputra, the sources of which are at an altitude of about 6000 meters in the Himalayas.
Elephants in India are like horses in Europe or Asia. These powerful animals are trainable and can be used by humans to do heavy work. Elephants are capable of lifting and carrying heavy loads (such as logs)
Back in the XVI-XVII centuries. the elephant was much more widespread: it was found in Central India, Gujarat and on the island of Kalimantan, where there are now no wild elephants. The range and number of wild elephants has been declining especially sharply in recent decades due to the expansion of agricultural land and eucalyptus plantations, which are used as the main raw material for the paper and viscose industries in Southeast Asia. In addition, elephants began to be destroyed as agricultural pests, despite existing conservation laws. The range of wild Malayan elephants has sharply decreased, of which there are about 500 left. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, where there were the most elephants in India, there are now about 400 of them, and in total there are no more than 3000-5000 in the country. On the island of Ceylon, which was famous for its abundance wild elephants, now home to about 2,500 animals. About the same number live in Burma. There are even fewer elephants in other countries.
The Indian elephant is much more a forest dweller than the African elephant. However, it prefers light forests with a dense undergrowth of shrubs and especially bamboo. Previously, especially in the cool season, elephants went out into the savannas, but now this has become possible only in nature reserves, since outside of them the savanna has almost everywhere been converted into agricultural land. In summer, elephants climb quite high into the mountains along wooded slopes, and in the Himalayas they are found near the border of eternal snow.
More often than not, the wild Indian elephant stays family groups 10-20 animals each, but there are single animals and herds of up to 100 or more animals. In elephant herds, adult males make up about 30%, females - 50% and young - 20%. In each herd there is an old, experienced female, to whom the rest of the animals obey.
Indian elephant breeding can occur in different seasons of the year. During the mating period, males are very excited for about three weeks and secrete a black secretion from a skin gland located between the ear and eye. This condition of males in India is called must. You should be wary of elephants during the musth period; they can even attack a person.
Pregnancy lasts 607-641 days, i.e. 20-21.5 months; one, rarely two, elephant calves will be born, weighing about 90 kg. The Indian elephant reaches sexual maturity at 8-12 years of age and lives 60-70 years.
Unlike the African elephant, the Indian elephant is easily tamed, quickly becomes very obedient, is amazingly easy to train and can perform complex work. In difficult swampy and forested areas, elephants are used as riding animals; on the back of an elephant in a special saddle, or gazebo, 4 people can easily fit, not counting the mahout, or mahout, who sits on the elephant’s neck. Elephants are capable of carrying heavy loads - up to 350 kg. Most often, elephants are used in logging, where they not only carry heavy trunks of cut trees, but also perform complex work, laying sawn boards in a certain order, loading and unloading barges, pulling logs out of the water, etc. In captivity, elephants reproduce very poorly , therefore, replenishment of the herd of tame elephants is carried out by capturing wild, mainly young elephants. Wild elephants are also captured and tamed with the help of domestic ones. Usually a whole herd of wild elephants is herded into a large enclosure built from stakes. Until recently, there were tens of thousands of working elephants in India, Burma and other countries of Southeast Asia, but in Lately their number began to decline rapidly - the elephants are being replaced by the tractor. In forestry work, elephants are also used in swampy areas where a tractor cannot pass without roads. Elephants take part in hunting and lavish temple ceremonies. A large number of Indian elephants, being easily tamed and obedient, are bought by zoos and circuses around the world. There are still many fantastic stories about elephants. Thus, it is often said that elephants are supposedly afraid of mice that can crawl into their trunks. It is not difficult to imagine what could happen to such a mouse: after all, when an elephant blows, stones much larger than a mouse fly with a stream of air flying out of its trunk. Elephants die like all other animals, and there are no cemeteries with a huge amount ivory does not exist. Equally fantastic are the stories about the dancers wild elephants, their extraordinary longevity and phenomenal memory.
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