Malaysian Elephants – from Youtube Video

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

         Asian elephants are smaller than their African counterparts, most easily noted in their ear size. They are more readily tamed than African elephants and have been used as beasts of burden for centuries. Despite their size, their charge speed can reach nearly 50kmph. Wild bulls are solitary, while cows and calves live in small herds. Though the adult Asian elephant has no natural predators, there only around 50,000 left in the wild.

Elephants, being wide-ranging species, need large areas of natural habitat to live and breed. A crucial factor in their survival is, among other things, the availability of large enough areas that are managed sustainably to meet the needs of both human and animal populations. With elephants being squeezed into increasingly smaller habitats only a fraction of its former extensive range, much needed solutions are necessary. 

These elephants live for up to 60 years in the wild and more than 80 years in captivity. They give birth about every 4-6 years, although this period may be extended when conditions are unfavourable for survival, such as during drought. The gestation period is between 19-22 months, almost 2 years! Calves suckle for 3-4 years. Elephants are herbivors, one adult can eat up to 150kg of vegetation per day, feeding mostly on species of palms, grasses, bamboo, legumes, bark, roots, fruits and a variety of tree and plant leaves. A mature adult has a prodigious appetite and requires between 200-300kg of food every day. An elephant’s digestive system is not particularly efficient, digesting less than 50% of its food.

            Of all the extraordinary features that the elephant displays, perhaps the most unique and astonishing is the most incredible feat of evolutionary engineering, the trunk. A nose, an arm, a hand, a voice, a straw, a hose and much more. The elephant's trunk is surely the most versatile and useful appendage on the planet. The trunk is the fusion of an elephant's upper lip and nose and was formed over millions of years of evolution. It is a long, prehensile tube with two nostrils running down the centre and a mass of flesh, muscle, fat, nerves blood and connective tissue that can weigh up to 140kgs.

           

           All elephants display great dexterity with the trunk. The trunk also allows elephants to reach up, down and into difficult spots that they cannot see which is of particular importance as elephants, unlike other browsing and grazing animals, do not use their teeth to directly feed. Instead an elephant will use the trunk's strength and flexibility to rip grass from the ground or fodder from a tree and then place it in its mouth. Trunks also allow an elephant to be selective about what they have gathered - for example, it is common for an elephant to use its trunk to shuck corn before eating the succulent cobs after disposing of its fibrous wrapping.

            Given that they have the largest nose in the world, it is perhaps not surprising that elephants are thought to have the best sense of smell of all animals. The sense of smell is probably the most important of their senses. If you observe elephants for any length of time, you will notice that the tip of their trunks are constantly moving, testing the smells in the air in every direction as we might perhaps use our eyes. Contrary to what is often believed, the elephant does not use its trunk to drink through. It does however play an important role in the act of drinking. The elephant uses the trunk to draw water and then sprays it into the mouth. A typical trunk can hold around four liters of water, although studies have shown that the trunk of a big bull can hold up to 10 liters. Elephants also use the trunk to transfer a layer of dust or mud to their bodies which protects them from insect bites or the ravages of a hot sun. When elephants are very hot and water is not readily available, they will often put their trunks in their mouths, obtain large amounts of saliva and spray it on their bodies.

           
         The trunk is an essential tool for social behaviour and virtually all close elephant interaction involves the trunk. Although it is not the only way they communicate acoustically, elephants can use their trunks to produce a range of sounds. They do this by modifying the size of their nostrils once air has passed over their larynx. Trunk-produced sounds can range from a low snort to high pitched squeaks of excitement or a deafening full blown trumpet. The reason a charging elephant tucks his trunk out of harm's way is to protect it from damage. A functioning trunk is absolutely vital for an elephant's survival. It is a remarkable organ and just one of the reasons that elephants are such exceptional animals.

            Elephants use their tusks for a variety of tasks. Principally, they are formidable weapons against potential predators like the tiger (although tigers will only ever attack young or juvenile elephants) or in battle against other elephants. There is also a display element to tusks and they can attract the interest of females. Evidence suggests that elephants normally prefer one tusk over the other, similar to being left or right handed in humans. The preferred tusk is known as the master tusk.


References:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0048586
http://www.rainforestoutdoor.com/2011/02/malaysian-elephants.html
http://www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/asian_elephant/asian_elephant.htm
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/asian-elephant/