Elephant Anatomy
Elephants' bodies are well adapted for the survival of rugged conditions of their habitats in Africa and Asia.
|
Elephants have strong, long trunks that perform multiple tasks, sharp tusks used for carrying heavy objects and for fighting with, large ears which they flap to keep themselves cool as well as having other functions.
Elephants also have a tail that with one swish can whisk away flies and other insects making it the perfect fly swatter.
|
|
Elephants also have large round feet adapted to support their great weight and tough enough for their long, long walks. |
|
On the left is an anatomy diagram of the internal organs of a female elephant.
Click on the image for a larger look at it.
The larger image will open in a new window, use the close button when finished.
|
Below you can see some distinct differences between the African elephant and the Asian elephant's body structures. The African is larger, with much larger ears and bigger all round in height and length. For more detailed information on either the African Elephant or the Asian Elephant, click on the individual images in the picture below.
Elephant Brain
|
The brain of the elephant is larger than any other land mammal and is located in the back of the skull well away from the forehead. An elephant's brain is about four times the size of a human's brain. (See diagram on the left). Out of all the animals that have ever lived on earth, the brain of the elephant is the largest known. Elephants are born with 35% of the mass of the adult brain. The elephant is among the more intelligent animals. |
The brain weight of the male African elephant is 4.2-5.4 kg. The brain weight of the female African elephant is 3.6-4.3 kg. Both quite heavy in comparison to the adult human brain although brain development in elephants is quite similar to that of human beings.
|
Humans are born with small brain mass, so are elephants. As a human brain grows and develops, so does an elephant calf's brain. Likewise, the learning ability of a human increases with growth, so does that of an elephant calf. It is not surprising that elephants are such intelligent creatures.
Although the female elephant brain is smaller than the male elephant brain, this does not suggest that the male is more intelligent than the female. Studies have revealed that the female elephant is equal to or even more intelligent than the male. Given the fact that female elephants are generally smaller to male elephants, the brain mass in proportion to the body size indicates the larger female brain.
|
|
Also, the brain and consciousness of the female elephant is much different than that of a male as they are reared and interact with their mothers in very different ways right from birth and while the females form a very close knit bond with each other which is constantly maintained, the males are more solitary and independent.
|
Although the brain of the elephant is the largest in size among all of the land mammals, it actually only occupies a small area at the back of the skull.
However, in proportion to the size of the elephant's body, the elephant brain is smaller than the human brain. Despite this, the elephant is one of the only animals along with all apes (including ourselves), sperm whales and a few other creatures who has a large brain relative to body size.
Elephant Hair
Although elephants are generally considered hairless animals, both African and Asian elephants are born with thick hair. The elephant fetus is covered with 'Lanugo', a mass of long, downy hair, however, most of this is shed before the elephant is actually born. The hair on an elephant calf sheds more as the elephant calf grows. The hair is not designed to provide warmth for the elephant, however, it does allow the elephant to sense the closeness of objects the hair touches.
|
The hair on an elephant is thickest on the tail and more visible on the head and back. The hair on the tail can reach a length of up to 100 centimetres.
The hair that appears around the eyes and nose have a protection purpose.
It helps to keep out particles and germs from invading the body through the ears and nose. An elephant also has small sensory hairs along its trunk.
|
|
Baby elephants (calves) have lots of small fine hairs that cover most of their body. In the photo on the left, you can see the fine hair on the calf's forehead and lower back.
These hairs will last in the same density long after the elephants first birthday and then as the elephant grows the hair will gradually become thinner and become less visible.
|
