NB UPDATE: Kruger National Park Tusker Masthulele deceases 15 September 2017 It is with deep sympathy that we announce the unfortunate passing on of Masthulele… The entire human body has only 639 muscles. An elephant can eat up to 300 pounds of food and drink 25-50 gallons of water a day. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1956. Elephants are mammals of the family Elephantidae and the largest existing land animals. Elephants are the world’s largest land animals now living. The elephant is Earth's largest land animal, although the Asian elephant is slightly smaller than its African cousin. Elephants use one tusk more than the other. Raja Gaj (king elephant) (c. 1936 – 2007?) The African forest elephant, which is the smallest living species of elephant, reside mainly in forests. The Asian Elephant is a species of elephants distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The largest elephant on record was an adult male African elephant. He was considered to be the biggest Asian bull elephant of modern times who was estimated to be 11 feet 3 inches (3.43 metres) tall at the shoulder, some two feet taller than the average Asian elephant. The Height of this largest elephant from ground to withers, 13 feet 2 inches. The largest elephant ever recorded (the Fenykovi elephant, now in the Smithsonian Institution) was shot in Angola in 1955. Last updated at 11:02 05 December 2007. The world's largest elephant is not something you'd easily misplace. Elephants are the largest living land mammals in the world. For a while, both African elephant species were considered one until scientists confirmed that they are distinct and diverged at least 2 million years ago. was a large Asian elephant that lived in the Bardiya National Park in Nepal. Slightly smaller than their African cousins, Asian elephants are native to India and Southeast Asia. World's biggest Asian elephant goes missing in Nepal. The elephant trunk is composed of over 100,000 muscles and ligaments. ). All records listed on our website are current and up-to-date. A third species, the Asian elephant, resides in Southeast Asia. The tusks (in the males only) measure 0.5 - 1.7 m (1 ft 6 in-5 ft 6 in) long and weigh up to 15 kg (33 lb). Their population is declining rapidly mostly … Much of what scientists know about wild elephant behavior comes from African bush elephant studies. The largest living land mammals, elephants are intelligent, social and vital to their ecosystems. African Forest Elephant. Three species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest eleph This male weighed about 24,000 lb (11,000 kg), with a shoulder height of 3.96 meters (13.0 ft), a metre (yard) taller than the average male African elephant. This officially increases the number of sub-species of the Asian elephant to four, along with Sri Lankan, Indian and Sumatran. Asian elephants can be identified by their smaller, rounded ears. It is one of the largest living creatures on the planet and is seen in numerous zoos across the world. An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer. Elephants are the largest land-living mammals in the world.