Borneo Pygmy Elephant

Description:

Borneo pygmy elephants are smaller and much less aggressive than other Asian elephants. The males may grow to less than 8.2 feet, while other Asian elephants grow up to 9.8 feet. They have rounder faces, larger ears, and longer tails that reach almost to the ground and are more rotund. A 2003 DNA analysis carried out by WWF and Columbia University proved that the pygmy elephants were genetically distinct from other Asian elephants, thereby recognizing it as a subspecies.

Habitat:

Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests of Sabah, Borneo (northeast tip of the island) and occasionally into East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Notes:

This herd was approximately 30 over that we managed to count by the riverbank in the late afternoon.