What are the different types of elephants?

African elephant and Asian elephant form different species of elephants. There are also some subspecies of African and Asian elephants. African elephants are divided into two subspecies, including Savannah elephants and forest elephants. There are four subspecies of Asian elephants, including Borneo Pygmy, Indian Elephant, Sumatran Elephant and Sri Lankan Elephant. All types of African and Asian elephants are currently threatened, mainly because their habitats are rapidly decreasing as a result of deforestation. Some African elephants are up to 13 feet (4 m). Most of the larger African elephants are Savannah elephants, and those on the smaller side are usually forest elephants that are sometimes referred to as pygm elephants. In addition to being taller than Asian elephants, African elephants also have larger ears and one vaulted head, while Asian elephants have twins with a significant indentation in the middle. Some people believe that it is possible to distinguish between African and Asian elephants according to their shape of the ear because the ears of each type of elephants are fittingLike the continent they come from.

The largest of all Asian elephants is Sri Lankan elephants and Sumatran subspecies are the smallest. Asian elephants on the mainland are the least endangered by Asian species, while a little more than 20,000 still roams Southeast Asia, but are still considered endangered. Borneo Pygmy Asian elephants are most at risk, while about 1,500 still live in the wild. In most Asia countries, elephants are very important for use in work, religious activities and entertainment of tourists. African elephants are usually not used for any other purpose of the tourist industry parties and it is estimated that only about 500,000 remains on the whole African continent.

In addition to deforestation, elephants are also in danger because people hunt them. Although it is illegal, many people still hunt elephants for their ivory. Most elephants can live up to 70 years in captivity, but their life expectancy isDeclaimed in the wild much shorter because of all the circumstances that work against them. Historical evidence shows that there was a very large population of elephants made up of many different species. Scientists are not entirely sure what caused most of these ancient elephants to disappear, but they suspect that it could have been caused by a massive plague or climate move.