"I will send President Lincoln some elephants!" the King of Siam-- The King and I

Asian elephants are not too different from the popular African elephant. The main differences are that African elephants have ears that are shaped like the continent Africa and Asian elephant ears are smaller. Also, the Africa elephants, both male and female, have tusks whereas the Asian elephants both male and female have tusks; however, on the females and males from some areas do not have visible tusks. African elephants are also known to grow to up to 12 feet tall; however, Asian elephants grow only to be 10 feet tall.

Asian elephants come from many different countries, though they only inhabit large blocks of forest near water. The countries where you can find Asian elephants include India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and southern China.

The Asian elephant, like their African counterparts, also live in herds. They are ruled by the matriarch, the oldest living female in the clan. Most male Asian elephants leave the herd when they are about thirteen years of age and reach puberty.

The male elephants only return to the herd when it's breeding time; however, only the older and larger males dominate the breeding and win the females. A female Asian elephant is pregnant for 20 to 22 months and only one calf is born at a time. After the calf is born, the female elephant cannot give birth for another four years.

Asian elephants are listed on the endangered species list, but there is great hope for them in the future. The National Zoo's Asian elephant Shanthi just gave birth to her second baby (the first one back in 1992 and it did not survive past 16 moths old). She became pregnant via artificial insemination which marks only the fourth successful artificial insemination of an Asian elephant in the US and the fifth for the world. This bodes well for Asian elephants.

Hopefully with the birth of a new Asian elephant at the National Zoo and efforts worldwide to save these creatures, we can make a difference. The best way to help these animals out ourselves is to not buy any ivory products and to donate money to the World Wildlife Fund and FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo).