Elephants are currently the largest land mammals on the planet and have historically maintained a close relationship with humans, which has generally been negative for these animals. Elephants have been used for wars, rituals and very particularly to extract parts of their bodies that generally end with their death, which has resulted in the massive decline of elephant populations in their natural habitats.
In Asia we find a species of elephant that is made up of three subspecies, one of which is the Sri Lankan elephant, of which we will be offering you information in this tab of our site. This elephant is distinguished from the rest of the subspecies by its size and by being endemic to the island of Sri Lanka. Read on and learn more about this representative member of the Elephantidae family.
Characteristics of the Sri Lankan Elephant
Genetic investigations of mitochondrial DNA sequences made it possible to strengthen the establishment of this subspecies, which was initially weakly supported by certain studies. It is characterized by being the largest of the Asian elephants, exceeding three meters in height and weighing about 6 tons. They can be gray or brown in color and sometimes have several depigmented areas on the skin that look like spots that are lighter in color than the rest of the body.
Despite their great weight, they can move with agility and quite safely, reaching a little over 40 kilometers per hour on your commute. It shares with the rest of the Asian elephants smaller ears than the African group and its highest point is present on the head, as well as the presence of a bulge on its backwhich gives it a rounded shape. As for the legs, the front ones have five claws, while the rear ones have four. They generally lack fangs, mainly females, which if they do have them are very small, while in males they may eventually be present. The tube ends in a single lobe or finger-like projection.
Sri Lanka Elephant Habitat
In the past this elephant was distributed throughout the island of Sri Lanka, which is mainly characterized by its plains and coastal plains, only with mountainous formations to the south. It is made up of tropical-type forests, with annual temperatures between 28 and 30 ºC. However, later these animals were restricted to specific areas due to the activities carried out on the island that involved the transformation of the elephant's own ecosystems.
In this sense, the subspecies is mainly present in lowlands with dry weather conditions, so that it is distributed in a widespread in the north, south, east, north-west, north-central and south-east of Sri Lanka. As for the humid regions of the country, they are practically absent, with the exception of a few small populations found in the Peak Wilderness and in the Sinharaja area. Estimates indicate that over time it will continue to lose its range due to continued habitat transformation.
Sri Lanka Elephant Customs
This subspecies maintains the social structure that characterizes the Asian group, such that there is a dominant adult female and the rest of the herd It is mostly made up of other younger females, one or two adult males and their offspring. The leader of the herd is the one who guides them to carry out the movements that these animals are used to doing, whether in search of food, water, protection or for reasons of the weather.
They spend most of the day attentive and also feeding, the latter due to their low digestive efficiency. They usually sleep at night, although some member of the group is always alert to detect any possible danger. These elephants are a symbol of the island and it is easy to see them in various populated areas and, although in general they do not suffer from hunting for their tusks, they are domesticated to be used in tourist activities or religious rituals.
Sri Lanka Elephant Feeding
The Sri Lankan elephant includes in its diet, as it has been possible to identify, more than 60 species of plants, which belong to to 30 different families. Some studies indicate that they have a preference for feeding mainly on monocotyledonous plants. In addition, they require a large intake of plant matter every day in order to meet the nutritional requirements of their large and heavy bodies.
They can consume more than 100 kg of food a day, which includes branches, roots, leaves, bark and seeds. The latter are constantly dispersed in the mobilizations made by these animals, which in addition to the importance of this activity for ecosystems, are also an umbrella species, that is, keeping them within the habitat guarantees the presence of other species. These elephants consume so much plant matter that a well-stocked herd can transform the appearance of a space in no time.
Sri Lanka Elephant Reproduction
They have a long gestation period that reaches almost two years, so after having a calf, they wait several years to play again. The females make sounds to indicate to the males that they are outside the herd. Also, as these have an excellent sense of smell, they can perceive the fertility status of the female. Next, one or more males will approach, which will compete to reproduce, however, the female does not always choose the winner.
The calf weighs on average about 100 kg and will be under the care of the females of the clan, as they are quite vulnerable to attack of predators such as felines, so the adults remain alert and make sure that the little one does not stray from the herd. If a female is born, she can stay with the group, on the contrary, if she is a male, once she is approximately five years old, she will be dispersed by the oldest male.
Conservation status of the Sri Lankan elephant
Since the 1980s, the Sri Lankan elephant has been Endangered, being part of the Union's red list International for the Conservation of Nature. However, despite the population decline, individuals have managed to have a slight increase within the island. The main impacts suffered by this elephant are due to the fragmentation and transformation of its habitat, which continues to rise.
These animals move in search of food, so they come to enter cultivated spaces and this generates serious conflicts with people, which in many cases end up killing the elephants. The main action or conservation measure is the creation of protected areas for the maintenance of the subspecies, so that it can move freely through these areas. However, the foregoing does not completely free these mammals from certain attacks or captures in order to keep them in captivity.
The Sri Lankan elephant is an important symbol in the culture of the island, but unfortunately this, instead of generating actions to protect the animal, on the contrary, often causes damage, since they tend to be used in a variety of rites or captured for forced labor. Elephants require concrete actions immediately to guarantee their permanence on the planet.
