Asian elephant Facts for Kids

Elephas maximus · EL-eh-fas MAX-ih-mus

Asia's elephant: smaller ears than the African one, the same clever trunk.

🏃 speed: not yet checked
⚖️ 3 to 6 tons2.8 to 5.4 tonnes1
📏 5.9 to 12 ft1.8 to 3.8 m1 tall
🎂 47 years47 years1
🍽️ plants
In danger (Endangered)

Asian elephants live in forests in Asia. Their ears are smaller than an African elephant's. They love to splash in water.

An Asian elephant's trunk ends in one finger-like tip, while an African elephant's has two. Only some males grow long tusks. Asian elephants live in family herds led by an older female, and they need lots of water and plants every day.

Asian elephants are a little smaller than African elephants, with rounder backs and two bumps on top of the head. They are endangered: their forests are being cut into pieces by farms and roads, which brings elephants and people into conflict. In parts of Asia, people have worked alongside elephants for a very long time.

How big is a Asian elephant?

🧒 our measuring child, 4 ft1.2 m🐘 Asian elephant, 9 ft2.8 m at the shoulder

Asian elephant in numbers

Length	no checked number yet
Height at the shoulder	5.9 to 12 ft1.8 to 3.8 m1at the shoulder
Weight	3 to 6 tons2.8 to 5.4 tonnes1
Top speed	no checked number yet
How long it lives	47 years47 years1median, females
What it eats	grasses, leaves, bark, roots and fruit
Where it lives	forests and grasslands of India and Southeast Asia
What kind	Mammals
Is it in danger?	In danger (Endangered)2

A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.

Wow!

Its trunk has one finger-like tip; an African elephant's has two.
Only some male Asian elephants grow long tusks.
It has two bumps on the top of its head.

Compare the Asian elephant

Friends and neighbours

Three questions

What does the Asian elephant eat?

MeatPlantsBugs

The answer: Plants. It eats grasses, leaves, bark, roots and fruit.

Where does the Asian elephant live?

DesertForestFarm

The answer: Forest. It lives in forests and grasslands of India and Southeast Asia.

What kind of animal is the Asian elephant?

MammalReptileFish

The answer: Mammal. It's a mammal: hair or fur, and babies that drink milk.

Books about the Asian elephant, free at the library

Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the Asian elephant for free.

Where these numbers come from

Smithsonian's National Zoo, checked 30 October 2026.
Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
Wikidata, Asian elephant (Q133006), checked 30 October 2026.