Sri Lankan Elephant

Sri Lankan Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) is a distinct subspecies of the Asian Elephant and is indigenous to the island. The Sri Lankan Elephant can be described as being smaller in size than the African Elephant yet it is the largest of the three Asian subspecies. It is has a shoulder height between 2 and 3.5 m (6.6 and 11.5 ft) and weighs between 2000 and 5500 kg, with a darker skin tone and greater de-pigmentation patches on its body. The females are distinctively smaller than the male with females having short or no tusks with about 2% of the male populations being tuskers. It is believed that the Sri Lankan Elephant with its distinct physical characteristics is better looking when compared with its Asian cousins, the Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) and the Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus).