Ears

• There are several anatomical and behavioral differences between the different species. Most noticeable is the difference in ears.
  • African savanna elephants have large ears shaped much like the continent of Africa.
  • African forest elephants’ ears are more oval-shaped. 
  • Asians, who live in cooler forest areas, have smaller ears.

Body

• Asian elephants also have rounded backs and relatively smooth skin.
• African elephants display a sway back and very wrinkled skin.

Tusks

• Elephants are hypsodonts, with continually growing teeth.
  
• African elephants of both sexes generally (but not always) grow long incisor teeth called tusks. Among Asian elephants, only males exhibit tusks, and not all males have them.
  
• Tusks are modified, elongated incisors, and are therefore essentially no different from other teeth, continuously growing throughout an elephant’s life.
  
• It is common for elephants in the wild and in captivity to periodically chip distal portions of their tusks as they engage in natural foraging and social behaviors.
  
• Elephants in captivity that do not have the opportunity to engage in natural foraging and social behaviors due to limited habitat access and small enclosure size frequently require routine tusk trims in order to prevent overgrowth.
  
• Approximately 1/3 of a tusk is hidden from view, embedded deep in an elephant’s head. This portion of the tusk contains a core pulp cavity that contains tissue, blood, and nerves. The approximately 2/3 portion of the tusk that is visible is made of dentine with an outer layer of enamel.
  
• The average size and length of tusks have decreased over time, believed to be a side effect of selective hunting of bull elephants with larger tusks. Therefore, the inherited genetics for large tusks is becoming increasingly rare.
  
• Tusks are used for a variety of tasks in wild elephants. This includes foraging, digging, moving objects, stripping bark, and as weapons of protection.
  
• Evidence suggests that some elephants may prefer one tusk over the other, similar to handedness in humans.
  

Trunk

• Asian elephants have one small finger-like projection at the end of the trunk. African elephants have two “fingers.”
  
• These “fingers” are very sensitive and make it possible for elephants to pick up very small objects.
  
• Elephants have more than 100,000 muscles in the trunk making them very flexible and strong enough to lift trees.

• All elephants are herd animals with a very definite social structure.
  
• Herds are led by a matriarch, usually the oldest female, and are made up of daughters, sisters and their offspring.
  
• Male elephants stay with the herd through adolescence and then move away as they grow older.
  
• Male elephants often stay independent, but sometimes band together in bachelor pods.
  
• African savannah elephants can live in very large herds consisting of anywhere from 20 to 70 individuals, while the African forest elephants like the Asian elephants generally live in smaller herds.

• All elephant species are herbivores, consuming only plant material. You can help The Sanctuary feed an elephant for a day with a donation of $50.
  
• The elephants of Africa are browsers, and eat mostly grasses, turning to leaves, twigs, bark, flowers, and fruits when the grasses are not available.
  
• Asians are grazers and consume a similar range of plants, including large amounts of bamboo.