What Kind of Elephants Are There?

It is generally believed that there are two types of elephants, those from Africa and those from Asia. However, scientists now believe that there were many types of elephants that lived in Africa in the distant past and that even in the 21st century there may be two or even three types in that continent, according to John Tidwell of "Smithsonian Zoogoer," a scientific publication.

  1. When They Diverged

    • About 5 million years ago, Africa had many different species of elephants. This included one that was most closely related to the woolly mammoths of the more distant past. Something unknown happened that caused them to shift from their original habitats, leaving behind the longer-eared ancestors of African elephants.

    Asian Elephants

    • Asian elephants have significantly different physical attributes than those from Africa. They are about 8 to 10 feet tall up to their shoulders, have domed foreheads and relatively small ears. They also have a small extension at the tip of their trunks, which is sometimes referred to as their finger. In comparison, African elephants are much bigger, about 13 feet at the shoulders, have a straight as opposed to a humped back and two fingers at the tip of their trunks.

    Savannah and Forest African Elephants

    • It had long been noted that there were apparently minor differences between elephants that inhabited the wide grasslands of Eastern and Southern Africa and those that inhabited the forests and jungles of Western and Central Africa. For example, those from the forests are somewhat smaller and have straighter tusks. However, when their genes were examined, it was found that they were as different from each other as members of the cat family are from each other. They should, therefore, be classified as two separate species.

    A Third African Species

    • Further genetic research between elephants within the forest elephants suggest that this species may be divided into two. When comparisons were made between the populations in the Tai forest in the west of Africa with those from the Congo, it was discovered that their genes were as different as are those between forest and savannah elephants. There may be good reasons to suggest that, rather than one species of elephant, Africa is home to three distinct branches of this animal.