Asian Elephants

By: Ahvasri Thapa

General Facts

Scientific Name: Elephas Maximus.

Current Population Estimates: 30,000-50,000

Elephants don't have many predators. Lions, Tigers, and Jackals will usually eat baby elephants if they are left alone or if they're not being watched carefully.
Asian Elephants are herbivores. They only eat plants.

Breeding Habits

Male elephants tend to be very protective over their partner.
An Asian Elephant can have up to twelve calves through out it's entire life time.
Asian elephants usually have only one calf. They can sometimes have twins or triplets but it's not common.
Elephants don't lay eggs. They have live birth.
The females take care of their young. If the mom disappears or dies, the other elephants will take care of the calf.

*Baby elephants are called calves, females are called cows and males are called bulls.

Habitat

Asian elephants live in Asia. They usually live in forests. They like to live in areas that have low plants, grass, and forests. Elephants don't stay in the same area for more than a few days. They make sure to stay in an area with a water supply.

They prefer living in areas with tropical climates, where the temperatures are usually higher than sixty-four degrees Fahrenheit.

The vegetation in it's habitat is usually a little dense. The trees and plants aren't very close to each other.There are a wide variety of plants in an Asian Elephant's habitat.

Food Chain

Asian Elephants

Heterotroph

(Herbivores)

(Carnivores)

Bengal Tigers

Heterotroph

Bamboo

Autotroph

(Omnivores)

Golden Jackals

Heterotroph

100

1000

Bengal Tiger

Golden Jackals

Asian Elephants

Bamboo

Producer

Primary

Consumer

Secondary

Consumer

Tertiary

Consumer

Food Pyramid

Food Web

Bengal Tigers

Asian Elephants

Golden Jackals

Omnivore

Carnivore

Herbivore

Amur Lepoards

Carnivore

Bamboo

White-lipped Tree Frog

Autotroph

Insectivore

Bananas

Autotroph

Giant Pandas

Omnivore

Sugarcanes

Autotroph

Red Delicious

Vines

Autotroph

Asian Camel Cricket

Omnivore

Human Interaction

-Anti-Poaching Patrol: Local people are hired to watch and protect the wildlife reserves that the elephants live in.

-WWF (World Wild Life): They are working with other groups to save forests, such as the Tesso Nilo Forest, which are home to many Asian Elephants.

-People who clean up litter in forests and such. They help a lot since litter hurts the environment. So by cleaning it up, they are helping the environment in which elephants live in.

References

http://seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-infobooks/elephants/conservation-and-research/
http://infinitespider.com/meet-the-camel-cricket/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/asian-elephant
http://switchzoo.com/profiles/giantpanda.htm
http://diet.yukozimo.com/what-do-leopards-eat/
http://www.denverzoo.org/downloads/dzoo_asian_elephant.pdf
http://animals.pawnation.com/many-calves-elephant-once-2964.html
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Elephas_maximus/
http://diet.yukozimo.com/what-do-tigers-eat/