---
title: "What the sources say about the Asian Elephant | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "53 claims from the Asian Elephant profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/asian-elephant-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/asian-elephant/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Asian Elephant (*Elephas maximus*)

> 53 claims from the Asian Elephant profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Asian Elephant](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/asian-elephant/)

## Plotnik et al. (2011). Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1101765108

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| intelligent | elephants can learn to coordinate with a partner in a task requiring two individuals to simultaneously pull two ends of the same rope to obtain a reward (note: tags: intelligent (problem-solving)) |

## Asian elephant. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/asian-elephant

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A boneless trunk with about 150,000 muscle units | It contains no bones, but is composed of muscles ... The trunk has about 150,000 muscle units and tendons (note: tagline) |
| a pregnancy of nearly two years | Gestation is between 21.5 and 22 months (note: tagline; 22 months is under two years. The source's 'longest gestation period for any animal' was cut (frilled shark and alpine salamander gestations are longer)) |
| rumbles humans can barely hear | low-pitched sounds that are barely audible to humans. These powerful infrasonic rumbles (note: tagline) |
| Forests and open grassy glades in India and Southeast Asia | Asian elephants are found in isolated pockets of India and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra and Borneo. ... Asian elephants are considered forest animals. However, they have been observed to prefer zones that include intermittent open grassy glades. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Mostly grasses, plus leaves, roots, bark and fruit | They feed primarily on grasses but also consume large amounts of browse, including leaves, roots, vines, twigs, shoots and bark, as well as fruit. (note: stats.diet) |
| A trunk with about 150,000 muscle units and tendons | The trunk has about 150,000 muscle units and tendons (note: stats.superpower) |
| Deadly | Crop raiding is frequent and can create situations that can lead to elephant deaths, as well as human deaths. (note: stats.dangerLevel) |
| Elephants are the largest living land animals. | Elephants are the largest living land animal. |
| Adult Asian elephants weigh on average between 6,000 and 12,000 pounds (2,750 to 5,420 kilograms). | adult Asian elephants weigh on average between 6,000 and 12,000 pounds (2,750 and 5,420 kilograms) |
| They typically stand 1.8 to 3.8 meters tall at the shoulder. | They typically stand 6 to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.8 meters) tall at the shoulder. |
| The trunk is a fusion of the nose and upper lip. | The trunk is a fusion of the nose and upper lip. |
| It contains no bones, but it has about 150,000 muscle units and tendons. | It contains no bones, but is composed of muscles, blood and lymph vessels ... The trunk has about 150,000 muscle units and tendons |
| It can hold about 2 gallons (7.57 liters) of water. | It can hold about 2 gallons (7.57 liters) of water. |
| At the tip sits one small "finger" that aids with precision. | Asian elephants have one small projection at the end of their trunk, called a "finger," which aids with precision. |
| Big ears work as cooling devices too. Flapping them on hot days cools the blood in the ears' veins. | Their large ears function as cooling devices. ... As an elephant flaps its ears on hot days, the blood in these veins cools |
| Asian elephants are herbivores | Asian elephants are herbivores |
| They spend about three-quarters of each day eating or moving toward food or water. | spend about three-quarters of each day eating or moving toward a food or water source |
| They feed primarily on grasses, but they also eat leaves, roots, vines, twigs, shoots, bark and fruit. | They feed primarily on grasses but also consume large amounts of browse, including leaves, roots, vines, twigs, shoots and bark, as well as fruit. |
| In the wild an elephant needs about 165 to 330 pounds (74 to 150 kilograms) of food and about 50 gallons (189 liters) of water per day. | they must consume great amounts of food, about 165 to 330 pounds (74 to 150 kilograms) per day and about 50 gallons (189 liters) of water per day in the wild |
| An elephant absorbs only about 44 percent of what it eats, so it has to put away huge amounts. | Elephants only assimilate about 44 percent of what they eat. Therefore, they must consume great amounts. (note: 'absorb' is the writer's gloss of assimilate) |
| Wild herds live in isolated pockets of India and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra and Borneo. | Asian elephants are found in isolated pockets of India and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra and Borneo. |
| India is home to almost half of the total population of Asian elephants. | India by far has the largest population of elephants for a single country, with almost half of the total population of Asian elephants in the world living within its borders. |
| They count as forest animals, yet they have been seen to prefer zones with intermittent open grassy glades. | Asian elephants are considered forest animals. However, they have been observed to prefer zones that include intermittent open grassy glades. |
| Elephants talk in infrasonic rumbles. These are low-pitched sounds that are barely audible to humans. | Elephants communicate over long distances using low-pitched sounds that are barely audible to humans. These powerful infrasonic rumbles |
| Other elephants can hear and understand them from more than 2 miles away. | can be heard and understood by other elephants more than 2 miles away |
| Nearly two years | Gestation is between 21.5 and 22 months (note: blockquote lead-in; 22 months) |
| A female Asian elephant carries her calf for between 21.5 and 22 months. | Gestation is between 21.5 and 22 months |
| Usually one calf (occasionally two) is born, weighing between 150 and 350 pounds (68 to 158 kilograms). | Usually one calf (occasionally two) is born and weighs between 150 and 350 pounds (68 to 158 kilograms). |
| A grown bull or cow has no enemies except humans. A young elephant is another matter: where the two ranges overlap, tigers attack them. | Adult bulls and cows have no enemies, except for humans, but young elephants are susceptible to attacks by tigers in the areas where their ranges overlap. |
| The evidence points to a typical lifespan into the mid-50s | Evidence suggests that Asian elephants typically live into their mid-50s |
| the data on wild Asian elephants is not consistent enough for an accurate estimate | there is not enough consistent data available on wild Asian elephants to accurately estimate their lifespan |
| The median life expectancy for females is 47 years | Median life expectancy for female Asian elephants is 47 years old. |
| Crop raiding is frequent, and it can lead to elephant deaths as well as human deaths. | Crop raiding is frequent and can create situations that can lead to elephant deaths, as well as human deaths. |
| Elephant ears contain many blood vessels. When an elephant waves them on a hot day, the blood in those vessels gets cooler. | The ears contain many blood vessels. As an elephant flaps its ears on hot days, the blood in these veins cools |
| That cooled blood helps cool the brain and then flows back through the body, which lowers body temperature by several degrees. | the blood in these veins cools, which then cools the elephant's brain and travels back through the body, reducing body temperature by several degrees |
| Typically into their mid-50s, the evidence suggests, although there is not yet enough consistent data on wild Asian elephants for an accurate estimate. | Evidence suggests that Asian elephants typically live into their mid-50s, but there is not enough consistent data available on wild Asian elephants to accurately estimate their lifespan |
| Females have a median life expectancy of 47 years. | Median life expectancy for female Asian elephants is 47 years old. |
| A trunk with no bones | It contains no bones (note: heading) |
| giant-size | Elephants are the largest living land animal. (note: tags: giant-size) |

## AnAge entry for Elephas maximus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Elephas_maximus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the maximum longevity listed in a database of animal lifespans is 79.6 years, in captivity | Maximum longevity 79.6 years (captivity) |
| weightKg: 3178 | Adult weight 3,178,000 g (note: 3,178 kg; Colossal, inside Smithsonian's 2,750 to 5,420 kg) |

## Williams et al. (2020). Elephas maximus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T7140A45818198.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-3.rlts.t7140a45818198.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). (note: stats.conservationStatus) |
| The IUCN Red List lists the species as Endangered. | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). |

## Stoeger et al. (2012). An Asian Elephant Imitates Human Speech. Current Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.09.022

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Researchers documented a male Asian elephant named Koshik imitating human speech. He put his trunk inside his mouth and matched Korean in such detail that Korean native speakers could understand and transcribe it. | we document a male Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ) that imitates human speech, matching Korean formants and fundamental frequency in such detail that Korean native speakers can readily understand and transcribe the imitations. To create these very accurate imitations of speech formant frequencies, this elephant (named Koshik) places his trunk inside his mouth |
| One male Asian elephant named Koshik did. He placed his trunk inside his mouth to shape the sounds. | this elephant (named Koshik) places his trunk inside his mouth, modulating the shape of the vocal tract during controlled phonation |
| Korean native speakers could understand and write down what he said. | Korean native speakers can readily understand and transcribe the imitations |
| Their transcriptions showed his imitations corresponded to five Korean words, including "annyong" (hello) and "anja" (sit down). | analyzing transcriptions made by 16 Korean native speakers on 47 recordings of Koshik’s utterances ... indicating that Koshik’s speech imitations correspond to the following five words: “annyong” (“hello,” Audio S1 ), “anja” (“sit down,” Audio S2 ) |
| Koshik the elephant did the same job with his trunk inside his mouth, matching Korean so closely that native speakers could understand and transcribe it | Korean native speakers can readily understand and transcribe |

## Plotnik, de Waal & Reiss (2006). Self-recognition in an Asian elephant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0608062103

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Mirror self-recognition has long seemed limited to humans and apes, but researchers who tested three Asian elephants reported a successful study. | mirror self-recognition (MSR) has long seemed limited to humans and apes ... We exposed three Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) to a large mirror ... Here, we report a successful MSR elephant study (note: abstract only: kept to what the abstract states (no count of elephants that passed)) |
| Researchers showed a large mirror to three Asian elephants and put marks on their heads to see whether they would use the mirror to touch them. | We exposed three Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) to a large mirror to investigate their responses. ... Visible marks and invisible sham-marks were applied to the elephants' heads to test whether they would pass the litmus "mark test" for MSR in which an individual spontaneously uses a mirror to touch an otherwise imperceptible mark on its own body |
| They reported a successful mirror self-recognition study. | Here, we report a successful MSR elephant study |
| The skill had long seemed limited to humans and apes. | MSR has long seemed limited to humans and apes |