Center for Elephant Conservation

Asian or African?


Skin - An Asian elephant's skin looks generally "tighter" on the body, compared to that of an African elephant. The skin is very thick on the elephant's back, to prevent loss of the body's moisture and provide natural protection from sun damage. Did you know "pachyderm" derives from the Greek word "pachydermose," meaning "thick-skinned"? Hair - Asian and African elephants are born with hair, which they may lose as they grow. An elephant's hair is thickest on its tail, and is also visible on the back and the head. While the hair doesn't provide warmth, it does allow the
animal to sense the closeness of objects the hair touches.
	Eyes - Asian elephants have very long eyelashes, which help protect their eyes, and two sets of eyelids! Like African elephants, Asian elephants have excellent vision, which helps them perform the remarkable feats you see in The Greatest Show On Earth^®. Ears - Here's the easiest way to tell the difference between Asian and African elephants: The Asian elephants' ears are smaller. Both species flap their ears like a fan to create a "cooling system," and both possess excellent hearing. In fact, you'll often see that elephants
in performance respond to simple verbal commands often unheard by much of the audience! Teeth - Asian male elephants have large visible tusks, while females have small tusks called "tushes" which seldom extend beyond the upper lip. African elephant males and females both have tusks. However, both species and sexes have been known to be born without tusks. Asian elephants have teeth in both their upper and lower jaws and will have six sets of teeth during a lifetime! The teeth become ground down from chewing, and replacements grow in automatically.
Trunk - The Asian elephant's trunk has one prehensile "finger" at the tip, while the African elephant's trunk has two. This helps the animals pick up and carry objects both large and small, heavy and delicate. Body - Asian and African elephants have distinct body types. The Asian elephant has two humps on its forehead and a rounded back with its belly sloping to the middle. The African elephant has a smooth, curved forehead, a dip in its back and a belly that slopes from the front to the rear.
	Feet - Asian elephants have five toenails on their front and four toenails on their hind feet, while Africans have four toenails on their front feet and four toenails on their hind feet! The soles of the feet have thick padding. At Ringling Bros., our elephants