If you have been reading our Wild Facts lately, you know that a passionate and enthusiastic young man named Jamie has been providing us with some great animal suggestions. Well, he has out done himself this week as he is recommending an entire theme. That’s right, inspired by his upcoming school trip, we are going to learn all about animals for Asia this week. So you might as order your plane ticket and book a week off work because Wild Facts is going to Asia. And what better place to start then with an amazing icon of this area, the Asian Elephant.

Africa vs. Asia

Although the elephant is the largest land animal on our spectacular planet, the Asian Elephant is just slightly smaller than their African cousins. Typically you can tell these two species apart by using a map to determine which continent you are on; however, if you happen to be in a zoo and want to know what species you are staring at….look at their ears. The Asian Elephant typically has small, round ears compared to the African species, which have ears that strangely resemble the continent they live on.

Cool Ears

The ears play an important role in the life of the Asian Elephant. No, not just because they help distinguish them from their larger and more popular African cousins. These ears play a crucial role in regulating their body temperature. These large round ears are perfect for radiating heat and consequently cooling down our beloved elephant friend. If the sun is too hot on any particular day, the Asian Elephant may rely on other tactics to cool off. The most popular tactic is playing in the water. I am sure we have all seen videos of this particular elephant sucking up water with their trunk before showering it all over their body. Sure it may help clean them but this shower is mostly for cooling off. Remember when you were a kid and you ran through the sprinkler on a hot summer day….well, this is the same thing, except they carry their sprinkler with them at all times.

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Asian Elephant has over 100 000 different muscles just in their trunk! Imagine how long they must be at the gym in order to exercise every single one of those muscles.