Everything you wanted to know about elephants?

Facts

• The elephant is the largest land-mammal on earth and the second tallest member of the animal kingdom - only the giraffe is taller.
• There are two main categories of elephants -African Elephant ( Loxodonta Africana) and the Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus).
• African elephants are generally both taller and heavier than their Asian counterparts, and have characteristic enormous ears
• Asian Elephants are found in 13 Asian countries, from West India to Southern China
• The Asian elephant is listed as endangered on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Animals. Latest estimates put the population below 30,000 with some 15-20,000 of these kept in captivity. This compares to an estimated 550,000 African Elephants
• The Sri Lankan elephant ( Elephas Maximus Maximus) is the largest of the three sub-species of Asian Elephants, weighing between 3 and 5 tonnes at maturity. There are an estimated 2500-3000 wild Sri Lankan elephants
• In the wild, Asian elephants may live to 60 years of age.
• Female Asian elephants usually lack visible tusks
• Gestation takes 20 to 22 months, and usually only one calf is born. Female Asian elephants can usually breed by the age of 14 and usually give birth to one young every four years.
• Asian elephants have been tamed as beasts of burden for about 4,000 years.
• Elephants' closest known relatives are dugongs, manatees, hyraxes, and aardvarks.
• Over short distances, elephants can reach speeds of up to 24 miles per hour
• Elephants have "knees" on their hind legs and are unable to jump.