Asian elephant
Scientific name: Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758
Overview
The Asian elephant, also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species in the genus Elephas. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living elephantid in the world. It is characterised by its long trunk with a single finger-like process; large tusks in males; laterally folded large ears and wrinkled grey skin that is partly depigmented on the trunk, ears or neck. Adult males average 4 t in weight and females 2.7 t. It has a large and well developed neocortex of the brain, is highly intelligent and self-aware, being able to display behaviours associated with grief, learning and greeting. Three subspecies are recognised—E. m. maximus, E. m. indicus and E. m. sumatranus.
From the Wikipedia article “Asian elephant”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 95 kg |
Source: Wikidata, citing “Elephas maximus”, scientific article published on 18 June 1982.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Asiatic Elephant, Indian Elephant.
Names in other languages (14)
- Arabic
- فبل هندي, فيل آسيوي
- Bengali
- এশীয় হাতি
- Chinese
- 亚洲象
- French
- éléphant d'Asie, Eléphant d'Inde
- German
- Asiatischer Elefant, Indischer Elefant
- Hindi
- एशियाई हाथी
- Indonesian
- Gajah Asia
- Japanese
- アジアゾウ
- Persian
- فیل آسیایی
- Portuguese
- Elefante-asiático
- Russian
- азиатский слон
- Spanish
- Elefante Asiático
- Turkish
- Asya fili
- Urdu
- ایشیائی ہاتھی
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q133006, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Asian elephant”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Yathin S Krishnappa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Chermundy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026