African vs Asian Elephant: What’s the Difference?
The main difference between African and Asian elephants is that African elephants are larger, with huge ears shaped a little like the African continent, while Asian elephants are smaller, with smaller, rounder ears and a twin-domed head. African elephants of both sexes usually carry tusks, but among Asian elephants only some males do. They belong to separate genera, Loxodonta and Elephas.
| African Elephant | Asian Elephant | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Loxodonta africana | Elephas maximus |
| Lifespan | 60–70 years in the wild, for animals that escape poaching and drought | 50–60 years in the wild; a few individuals reach 70 or more |
| Weight | 2,700–6,000 kg (6,000–13,200 lb) | 2,000–5,000 kg (4,400–11,000 lb) |
| Size | 2.5–4 m (8.2–13 ft) (shoulder height) | 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) (shoulder height) |
| Top speed | 25–40 km/h (15–25 mph) | about 25 km/h (15 mph) |
| Gestation / incubation | about 22 months (around 650 days) | 18–22 months (about 650 days) |
| Diet | Herbivore | Herbivore |
| Family | Elephantidae | Elephantidae |
| Habitat | Savanna, Grassland, Woodland, Wetlands, Semi-desert | Tropical forest, Grassland, Scrub forest, Bamboo forest |
| IUCN status | Endangered | Endangered |
Figures shown are for the african elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the asian elephant (Elephas maximus).
Key differences
Ears
African elephant ears are enormous, reaching up over the neck and often compared in outline to a map of Africa. Packed with blood vessels, they act as radiators in hot savanna. Asian elephant ears are much smaller and more rounded or squarish, and they do not extend above the top of the neck, reflecting a shadier forest habitat.
Tusks
In African elephants, both males and females normally grow visible tusks. In Asian elephants, only some males have large tusks. Females and many males have short 'tushes' that barely show beyond the lip, or none at all. In Sri Lanka, only a small minority of males are tuskers.
Head and back
An Asian elephant's head has two domes with a dent down the middle, and its back is level or gently arched, so the highest point is the head or mid-back. An African elephant has a single rounded dome on the head and a back that dips in the middle, leaving the shoulders as the highest point.
Trunk tip
The tip of an African elephant's trunk has two opposing finger-like projections, one above and one below, which it uses like a thumb and forefinger to pinch up small items. An Asian elephant has only the upper finger and tends to curl the trunk tip around objects and press them against the underside.
Skin and size
African savanna elephants are the largest living land animals and are both taller and heavier than Asian elephants. Their skin is more heavily wrinkled. Asian elephants have smoother skin, often with patches of pink depigmentation on the ears, trunk and face, and they tend to have a little more body hair, especially when young.
Species and range
There are two African species: the savanna or bush elephant, the animal profiled here, and the smaller forest elephant of Central and West Africa. There is one Asian species, found in scattered populations from India and Sri Lanka to Sumatra and Borneo. Asian elephants are, surprisingly, more closely related to extinct mammoths than to African elephants.
How to tell them apart
- Compare the ears: huge ears covering the shoulders mean African; smaller ears that leave the neck visible mean Asian.
- Look at the top of the head. Two bumps with a groove mean Asian; one smooth dome means African.
- Check the back line: a dip or saddle shape means African; a level or humped back means Asian.
- A female with clearly visible tusks is an African elephant.
What they have in common
African and Asian elephants are the last survivors of the order Proboscidea. Both live in close family herds led by an older female, the matriarch, while adult males roam alone or in loose bachelor groups. Both use the trunk for breathing, smelling, drinking and grasping, communicate with low rumbles that carry over long distances, and are threatened by habitat loss and ivory poaching.
Frequently asked questions
Can African and Asian elephants interbreed?
Only one case is known. In 1978, a calf named Motty was born at Chester Zoo in England to an Asian elephant mother and an African elephant father, but he died when less than two weeks old. The two belong to different genera, and zoos keep them apart.
Which is bigger, the African or the Asian elephant?
The African savanna elephant is bigger. It is the largest land animal alive today, standing taller and weighing significantly more than the Asian elephant. The African forest elephant, however, is smaller than both. See the comparison table above for typical height and weight.
Which elephant is more endangered?
All are in serious trouble. The IUCN Red List classifies the Asian elephant and the African savanna elephant as Endangered and the African forest elephant as Critically Endangered. There are roughly ten times more African than Asian elephants left in the wild, so by numbers the Asian elephant is rarer.
Are Asian elephants easier to tame than African elephants?
Asian elephants have a much longer history of working with people, having been used in logging, transport and ceremony for thousands of years. African elephants can be trained, but it has rarely been done. Neither species is domesticated, since working elephants were traditionally captured from the wild.