This has already resulted that this animal has been listed in the category of Critically Endangered species in 2012. In addition to poaching, the rapid deforestation and expansion of human settlement in the Sumatran Island has become a major threat to these majestic creatures. On the other hand, humans have become the primary predator of the Sumatran Elephant. But, as a result of the rapid declination of the Sumatran Tiger’s population, which has pushed this animal to the brink of extinction, this tiger predating on Sumatran Elephants has become a rare event. However, the calves that stroll far away from their herd, or gets separated from its mother, might get predated by the Sumatran Tiger. Hence, the Sumatran Elephants represent biodiversity within its habitat and conserving these animals greatly contributes to ecological integrity.ĭue to the large size of the adult Sumatran Elephants, they are rarely attacked by their natural predator which is the Sumatran Tiger. Moreover, the lush expansion of forest habitat also benefits many other smaller species like the Sumatran Rhino, Orangutan and the nearly extinct Sumatran Tiger. In fact, many species of plants depend solely on elephants for expansion of their seeds which in turn contributes to the increase of forest land. That is why they are also called Forest Gardeners. Therefore, with their habit of traveling long distances every day, these animals naturally disperse the seeds of different plant species all throughout the forests when they defecate. The digestive system of an elephant is able to digest only half of their total ingested food. "An adult Sumatran Elephant drinks 80-200 liters water and consumes 150kg food every day" The unusually large amount of diet of Sumatran Elephants also plays a crucial role in the well-being of the ecosystem. Unfortunately, the fast disappearing forests on this tropical island due to various human-induced factors has become one of the biggest threats to the survival of these mega creatures. Sumatra being the sixth largest island in the world and home to most diverse rainforests provided the Sumatran Elephants with more than enough food and space earlier. Therefore, they are forced to cover long range distances every day in search of food. Moreover, due to the requirement of large amounts of food, the elephants need a minimum home range of 20 square kilometer in a day. The Sumatran Elephants mainly prefer the natural lowland areas as their habitat but due to rapid deforestation caused by commercial plantation these creatures have suffered tremendously and forced to compromise with their preferred habitat. However, these populations quickly declined and by 2008 the Sumatran Elephant became locally extinct in the province of West Sumatra and was at high risk of meeting the same fate in the North Sumatra Province. The Lampung Province, the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park and the Way Kambas National Park were the major areas inhabited by these giants. Image credits: GUDKOV ANDREY/Shutterstock In an island-wide survey carried out in 1985, it was estimated that about 4,800 elephants occurred in 44 populations in all the 8 mainland provinces of this island. On the other hand, many elephants living in the wild could barely reach the minimum age of 60 years due to malnourishment and various life threats. In captivity, the Sumatran Elephants that were provided with adequate food and given proper health treatment have lived up to the age of 75 years. It may vary depending on food supply and living condition. The average lifespan of the Sumatran Elephant is 60 years. ![]() ![]() In comparison to the tusks of the other Asian sub-species, the tusks of the male Sumatran subspecies are relatively shorter. The females are smaller and lighter than the males and have shorter tusks that are barely visible. Compared to Sri Lankan and Indian Elephants, the Sumatran subspecies have a lighter skin color and minimum depigmentation marks on the body. ![]() This sub-species can reach a maximum height of 3.2 m(10.5 ft) and can weigh as much as 4000 kg (8,800 lb). Image credits: GUDKOV ANDREY/Shutterstock As a sub-species of Asian Elephant, the Sumatran Elephants are considerably smaller in size than the African Elephants.
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