Elephant
Posted December 22nd, 2007 by Anonymous
The elephants ( Elephantidae ) are a family in the order Proboscidea in the class Mammalia. They were once classified along with other thick skinned animals in a now invalid order, Pachydermata. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant (until recently known collectively as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (also known as the Indian Elephant). Other species have become extinct since the last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, the Mammoth being the most well-known of these.
The word "elephant" has its origins in the Greek ἐλέφας, meaning "ivory" or "elephant".
Elephants are mammals, and the largest land animals alive today. The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kilograms (265 lb). An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1956. This male weighed about 12,000 kg (26,400 lb), with a shoulder height of 4.2 m (13.8 ft), a metre (3 ft 4 in) taller than the average male African elephant. The smallest elephants, about the size of a calf or a large pig, were a prehistoric species that lived on the island of Crete during the Pleistocene epoch.
Elephants are symbols of wisdom in Asian cultures, and are famed for their memory and high intelligence, and are thought to be on par with cetaceans and hominids. Aristotle once said the elephant was "the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind."
Elephants are increasingly threatened by human intrusion and poaching. Once numbering in the millions, the African elephant population has dwindled to between 470,000 and 690,000 individuals. The elephant is now a protected species worldwide, with restrictions in place on capture, domestic use, and trade in products such as ivory. Elephants generally have no natural predators, although lions may take calves and occasionally adults. In some areas, lions may regularly take to preying on elephants.
- Subfamilia Elephantinae
- Tribe Elephantini (elephants)
- Subtribe Primelephantina †
- Genus Primelephas †
- Subtribe Loxodontina
- Genus Loxodon
- Subgenus Loxodonta (African elephants)
- Species Loxodonta africana
- Subspecies Loxodonta africana adaurora †
- Subspecies Loxodonta africana africana (African Bush Elephant or African Cape Elephant)
- Subspecies Loxodonta africana oxyotis (African Plains Savanna Elephant or West African Steppe Elephant)
- Subspecies Loxodonta africana pharaonensis (North African Elephant, Carthaginian Elephant or Atlas Elephant) †
- Species Loxodonta cyclotis (African Forest Elephant) 1
- Species Loxodonta africana
- Subgenus Loxodonta (African elephants)
- Genus Loxodon
- Subtribe Elephantina or Supergenus Elephadon
- Genus Elephas (Eurasian elephants)
- Species Elephas maximus (Asian elephant)
- Subspecies Elephas maximus indicus (Indian Elephant)
- Subspecies Elephas maximus maximus (Sri Lankan Elephant)
- Subspecies Elephas maximus sumatrensis (Sumatran Elephant)
- Subspecies Elephas maximus borneensis (Borneo Elephant or Asian Pygmy Elephant)
- Subspecies Elephas maximus rubridens (Chinese Elephant) †
- Subspecies ? Vietnam Elephant and Laos Elephant 2
- Subspecies Elephas maximus asurus (Syrian Elephant) †
- Species Elephas beyeri †
- Species Elephas celebensis †
- Species Elephas iolensis †
- Species Elephas planifrons †
- Species Elephas platycephalus †
- Species Elephas recki †
- Subspecies Elephas recki atavus †
- Subspecies Elephas recki brumpti †
- Subspecies Elephas recki ileretensis †
- Subspecies Elephas recki illertensis †
- Subspecies Elephas recki recki †
- Subspecies Elephas recki shungurensis †
- Subgenus Palaeoloxodon †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon antiquus †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon creticus †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon creutzburgi †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon chaniensis †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon cypriotes †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon ekorensis †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon falconeri †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon melitensis †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon namadicus †
- Species Elephas Palaeoloxodon naumanni †
- Species Elephas maximus (Asian elephant)
- Genus Mammuthus †
- Species Mammuthus africanavus (African mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus armeniacus (Armenian mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus columbi (Columbian mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus exilis (Pygmy mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus dwarfus (Wrangel Island mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus imperator (American mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus jeffersonii (Jeffersonian mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus lamarmorae (Sardinian Dwarf mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus meridionalis (Southern mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus planifrons †
- Species Mammuthus primigenius (Woolly mammoth) †
- Species Mammuthus subplanifrons †
- Species Mammuthus trogontherii (Steppe mammoth) †
- Genus Elephas (Eurasian elephants)
- Subtribe Primelephantina †
- Tribe Belodontini †
- Subtribe Belodontina †
- Genus Stegotetrabelodon †
- Genus Stegodibelodon †
- Subtribe Belodontina †
- Tribe Elephantini (elephants)
- Subfamilia Stegodontinae †
- Genus Stegodon †
- Species Stegodon aurorae †
- Species Stegodon elephantoides †
- Species Stegodon florensis †
- Species Stegodon ganesha †
- Species Stegodon insignis †
- Species Stegodon orientalis †
- Species Stegodon shinshuensis †
- Species Stegodon sompoensis †
- Species Stegodon sondaarii †
- Species Stegodon trigonocephalus †
- Species Stegodon zdanski †
- Genus Stegodon †
- Subfamilia Lophodontinae or Rhynchotheriinae 3 †
- Genus Anancus †
- Species Anancus alexeevae †
- Species Anancus arvernensis †
- Species Anancus kenyensis †
- Genus Morrillia †
- Tribe Lophodontini (Lophodonty) †
- Subtribe Lophodontina †
- Genus Tetralophodon †
- Genus Paratetralophodon †
- Subtribe Lophodontina †
- Tribe Cuvieroniini †
- Genus Stegomastodon †
- Species Stegomastodon arizonae †
- Species Stegomastodon mirificus †
- Species Stegomastodon primitivus †
- Genus Cuvieronius †
- Species Cuvieronius hyodon †
- Species Cuvieronius priestleyi †
- Species Cuvieronius tropicus †
- Genus Stegomastodon †
- Genus Anancus †
1. The supposed African Pygmy Elephant ( Loxodonta (africana) pumilio or Loxodonta fransseni ) is indistinguishable from the normal African Forest Elephant on a population genetics level. It appears to be a local morph.
2. The elephant population in Vietnam and Laos is undergoing tests to determine if it is a fifth subspecies.
3. The subfamily Lophodontinae/Rhynchotheriinae, are placed by some authors within the gomphotheres, while others consider them as true Elephantidae.
See also
- Ability to swim
- Blind Men and an Elephant
- Crushing by elephant
- Dwarf elephant
- Elephant's graveyard
- Elephant (movie)
- Elephant ear
- Elephant joke
- Elephant in the corner
- Elephant sanctuary
- Elephants in Kerala culture
- History of elephants in Europe
- Mûmak
- Temple elephant
- War elephant
- White elephant
- Year of the Elephant
- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
- Category:Famous elephants
- Category:Fictional elephants
References
- ^ Soanes, Catherine; Angus Stevenson (2006). Concise Oxford English Dictionary . Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-929634-0.
- ^ African Elephant. National Geographic. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ Frequently asked African Elephant questions. South African National Parks. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ Animal Bytes: Elephant. San Diego Zoo. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ Bate, D.M.A. 1907. On Elephant Remains from Crete, with Description of Elephas creticus sp.n. Proc. zool. Soc. London: 238-250.
- ^ What Makes Dolphins So Smart
More information on Elephant.
The more eagle-eyed and elephant-memory-ed, will recall that a few entries ago I did a botched job on my lovers thatch (as in head...oh gosh, of the head). Anyhow, I was to cut her hair, and it all went horribly wrong when yours truly got a little drunk and distracted and sheered in a disorderly fashion.
Four and half years ago, David Smith weighed more than 630 pounds. He had spent nearly a decade on the couch in his parents' house eating pizza, raiding the fridge, and drinking soda. For much of his life he said he "felt like the elephant man." Eventually he lose 400 pounds through 2 years of hard work with a friend. This is an inspirational read.
I read Hemingway’s novel Hills like White Elephant yesterday and now I have some feeling share with you.The story, told nearly in its entirety through dialogue, is a conversation between a young woman and a man waiting for a train in Spain. Their conversation is confusing at first. As they talk, it becomes clear that the young woman is ...
Santa shot at in Rio. Electric eels light up Japanese Christmas tree. Singapore elephants get festive gift of boots for jumbo pain.Around the globe, Christmas invariably offers tales of the wacky, wild and downright weird -- and the 2007 festivities are certainly no exception.
Belly Button Dusters and Sounds of the Rain Forest Smoke Alarms. Just what the person wanted?
The Elephant Sanctuary : Hohenwald, Tennessee
The Elephant Sanctuary of Hohenwald, Tennessee is a natural-habitat refuge where sick, old and needy elephants can once again walk the Earth in peace and dignity.
The Elephant Sanctuary, Hohenwald, Tennessee
The Elephant Sanctuary of Hohenwald, Tennessee is a natural-habitat refuge where sick, old and needy elephants can once again walk the Earth in peace and dignity.
Elephant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The elephants ( Elephantidae ) are a family in the order Proboscidea in the class Mammalia . They were once classified along with other thick skinned animals in a now invalid order ...
Elephant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The elephants ( Elephantidae ) are a family in the order Proboscidea in the class Mammalia . They were once classified along with other thick skinned animals in a now invalid order ...
Elephant (2003)
Synopsis, cast and crew, user comments and ratings, reviews, production and distribution information, media, photographs, and links.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
