Topic: Order Proboscidea,

Elephas - Asian elephantLoxodonta - African elephant

Presenting to: Sir Zaheer AhmadPresenting by: Rashid Alam, Syed Sajjad Ali Shah Ferozi and Azra Wahab

• The word Proboscidea comes from the word proboscis, which means "nose."

• Proboscideans are an order of eutherian mammals that include the living

elephants family and several extinct families.• Member of this order is called proboscideans.

Introduction

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Proboscidea

• Today there are two living species of Proboscidea: the African

elephant Loxodonta africanus and the Asian elephant Elephas maximus.

Range and status today• Loxodonta: This African elephants are now largely restricted to hunting

preserves and national parks.

– In thick forest, status less well known (but may be common).

• Elephas: Once widely distributed from India throughout

continental S.E. Asia and into southern China. Now very rare.

The African Elephant, Loxodonta africanaElephas

Geographic Range

• Present in Africa and Asia (India , Thailand etc).

• Thailand is known as land of white elephants.

All members of this order have a trunk that they use to grab food and water.

They use their trunks like humans use their hands, with an upper and lower

lip to grab food. They also have specialized teeth to browse and graze on

vegetation as well as tusks (second upper incisors) used to scrape bark off

trees, dig on the ground for food, and to fight.

Food

• Elephants require huge amounts of food, over 400 kg per individual per

day.

Uses of the trunk• As a tool

– Grazing & browsing– Manipulating objects– Moving water

• As a sense organ– Touch– Smell

• As a social-signaling organ– A bearer of visual signals– A touch-communicator

Elephants live long lives (60-70 years). They have complex social system that

involves groups of related individuals led by mature females.

Life Span

Physical appearnceModern elephants have a long, muscular trunk that functions almost as a fifth

limb, and males have a pair of huge tusks derived from upper incisors. Their 

cheek teeth are uniquely adapted to their highly abrasive diet.

The skeleton of elephants is adapted to bear massive weight, and as well, to

provide attachments for the muscles required by an animal that may feed

by pushing over and uprooting entire trees.

Economic importance

• Non-hunting tourism; • International sport hunting for trophies; • Culling (with byproducts of skin

and meat)

It is better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies.S-RA Q