THE INDIAN ELEPHANT {Euelephas Indicus) 



Elephants, the largest land animals now existing, are re- 

 presented by two distinct kinds, the African Elephant [Loxodon 

 AfricMius) and Indian Elephant {Euelephas Indicus), native re- 

 spectively to Africa and South Asia. These animals are adapted 

 by their structure to vegetable food, which is secured by the pre- 

 hensile trunk, this enabling them to seize food from the ground 

 or from high above their heads with equal ease. Of front teeth 

 only two upper incisors are present, which constitute the familiar 

 tusks, serving as formidable defensive weapons. In adult elephants 

 not more than four large and complicated grinding-teeth.are in 

 place at the same time. These consist of three sorts of material 

 of different degrees of hardness, and thus always present an 

 effective ridged crown for breaking up the food. The ridges are 

 much narrower and more numerous in the Indian than in the 

 African species. The stomach is simple, but the intestines are of 

 great length, in correlation with the nature of the food, which is 

 more difficult to digest and absorb than the flesh diet of car- 

 nivorous animals. 



