The Sri Lankan Elephant

The Sri Lankan Elephant
Elephas maximus maximus

The description of the Sri Lankan Elephant

Big bones, broad chest, broad and long cheeks and well built body shows the signs long life. Whenever an elephant is met for the first time the hugeness of these attractive animals comes to ones mind. The weight of the Sri Lankan elephant is generally between 3000-5000 kilograms. Only a certain percentage of males have well developed tusks. Out of the Sri Lankan elephants only 5%-10% have tusks. The elephant is clam and honorable. The Average height of an adult Sri Lankan male elephant is about 8.5ft.( app. 2.5 meters). There are records that some elephants have been reached up to 10ft. ( app. 3 meters). Average height of an adult female is about 8ft. ( app. 2.4 meters ). While it is 2 ½- 3 ½ meters in height its length from eyebrows to the tail is the same. The circumference of the front foot when multiplied by two is the traditional way of finding the height of an elephant up to the Shoulders.

The difference between Asian elephant and African elephant

African and Asian elephants differ in size, color, and other physical characteristics. The African elephant can be recognized by its larger size and broader ears that drape over its shoulders. Males may reach 4 m (13 ft) in height and weigh 7000 kg (15,400 lb). Females are shorter, averaging 2.8 m (9 ft) in height, and weigh considerably less, about 3600 kg (7900 lb). African elephants are light gray in color, although they can appear dark gray, red, or brown from the mud they bathe in. They have a low, flat forehead and a slightly swayed back. Their fan-shaped ears average 1.5 m (5 ft) in length and 1.2 m (4 ft) in width. Both males and females have long, curved tusks.
Asian elephants are shorter and stockier than their African counterparts, with ears that do not reach their shoulders. The average Asian male stands 3 m (10 ft) tall and weighs 2300 kg (5100 lb), about half the weight of male African elephants. Females reach an average height of 2.4 m (7.8 ft) and weigh an average of 3000 kg (6600 lb). Asian elephants have dark gray skin, a bulbous forehead, and a rounded back. Ear size averages 0.75 m (2.5 ft) long and 0.6 m (2 ft wide). Some males doesn't have tusks while the female’s tusks may be either absent or undeveloped.

History of Elephants and Sri Lankan Elephants

The History of life

The Earth was doubtless, already more than two billion years' old. This alone is a staggering length of time when we judge it by our usual standards of years, decades and centuries. But in the total history of all life a million years is but a moment. Between two and three billion years ago, in the darkness of the unknown past, the first life appeared.

It is impossible to comprehend the length of time that has passed since life first appeared on earth. But unimaginable immensity of the age of the planet earth and the time of life upon it has led to the multitude of living things we see today.

Life started in the sea. The first life forms were simple organism made of one cell. Over the millions of years living things gradually grew larger and complex.

Early animals had soft bodies and then grew hard shells. Plants spread over the land about 430 million years ago, immediately followed by the first amphibian.

Geologic Time

The first Reptiles evolved from amphibians. Unlike amphibians, reptiles could lay their eggs on land and spend more time on land. But some amphibians went back to sea and stay in water while some started to glide, and then fly. Reptiles who lived on land in turn gave rise to birds and mammals. In the Mesozoic era, after dinosaurs died out, mammals began to dominate the earth. One of the dominant members of mammals who roamed Africa, America and Asia is mammoths, the great grand -father of present Elephants.

Mammoths, specially northern Asian Mammoths grew thick hairy coats, because of which early humans hunted them for and for their meat as well, is one of the reasons for their extinction.

Evolution of the Elephant

Over the past 40 million years, more than 600 species of elephants have roamed the earth. Today only two species are alive—the African elephant and the Asian elephant.

About 65 million years ago from now, during the “ Eocene period” the last link of the present day elephant “ the Mortherium” was present. This creature had an organ like a trunk which was not long. The height upto the shoulders was about three feet. This animal was some what bigger than the tapir we see today. Moritherium is the great grandfather of the present day elephant and those like them.

When it came to the “Moecene period” the animal that looked like an elephant was known as “Trylophodon”. This animal which was about 10 feet in height is two feet longer than the “Moritherium”. Trilophodon had a long trunk ( about 7 feet) and two tusks. During the same period milk-fed animals (mammals) like the elephants were to be seen in Asian and African countries.

These animals were known as “Platybelodon”. These animals were about 12 feet in height. They had a short trunk which was bent down. Extinction of these animal species ( “Platybelodon” and “Trilophodon”) happened during the “Pliocene period”.

The Mammoths, another great grand-father of the elephant existed during the “Pliocene period”. These animals had pair of big tusks bent forward. They were bigger than the tusks of the present day elephant. These mammoths who had no hair on them ( except for Northern Wooly Mammoth ) lived in Asia, Europe and North America. Mammoth who lived in the Siberian areas of Europe had thick hair (Wooly Mammoth ).