Rapid Fire
Asian Elephants
- 12 Feb 2025
- 2 min read
A study on Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) reveals new insights about their vocalizations.
- Key Findings: Asian elephants communicate using trumpets, roars, rumbles, and chirps to seek attention and express emotions.
- Earlier beliefs suggested trumpeting was mainly a response to human disturbances, but new findings show it is used in social interactions and play.
- Asian Elephants:
- Subspecies: Three subspecies of Asian elephants include Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan.
- Population: Fewer than 50,000 remain in fragmented populations across 13 countries.
- Habitat: Found in grasslands, scrublands, evergreen and deciduous forests.
- Size and Appearance: Smaller than African elephants with proportionally smaller ears.
- Importance: Elephants, India’s Natural Heritage Animal, are a Keystone Species vital for forest health. They create clearings for forest regeneration and dig for water, aiding other wildlife.
- Protection Status:
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix I
- India’s Initiatives: Project Tiger & Elephant was introduced by merging the previous Project Tiger and Project Elephant schemes, focusing on protecting elephants and their habitats.
- 33 Elephant Reserves have been established in 14 major elephant States (highest population in Karnataka, followed by Assam and Kerala).
Read more: World Elephant Day 2023
