AnAge entry for Elephas maximus

Classification (HAGRID: 02473)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Proboscidea
                Family: Elephantidae
                    Genus: Elephas
Species: Elephas maximus
Common name: Asiatic elephant

Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Maximum longevity

65.5 years (captivity)

Source

ref. 671

Sample size

Large

Data quality

Acceptable

Observations

Elephants are long-lived mammals but suffer from teeth erosion as a type of mechanical senescence despite having as much as six sets of molars in a lifetime. Although both sexes may become sexually mature at about 9 years of age, males do not normally reproduce until they are about 15 years old. Full size is attained at about 17 years of age [0434].

There is much speculation and anecdotes about the longevity of elephants with reports of animals living more than 80 years. In particular, it has been reported that a male elephant called "Lin Wang" died at the age of 86 in Taipei Zoo [0536]. This record is unconfirmed, however, because the animal was estimated to be 26 when it was obtained, which is impossible to verify. Other reports of animals living over 70 years are plausible but have not yet been verified. Therefore, the oldest elephant on record was probably a wild born female that was about 65-66 years when she died in captivity [0671].

Several long lived mammals experience menopause. However, one study reported that whilst some Asian elephants have long post-reproductive lifespans, relatively few reach this stage. A decline in fertility generally matches a decline in survivorship [1192]. Asian elephants born in high stress seasons have been shown to exhibit faster reproductive ageing and reduced lifetime reproductive success [1193]. Additionally, a high early life reproductive output correlated with later life fecundity and offspring survival, but significantly impaired late-life survival [1194].

Life history traits (averages)

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

Metabolism

Typical body temperature: 309ºK or 35.8ºC or 96.4ºF
Basal metabolic rate: 2336.5000 W
Body mass: 3672000.0 g
Metabolic rate per body mass: 0.000636 W/g

References

[1238] Lahdenpera et al. (2016), Nearby grandmother enhances calf survival and reproduction in Asian elephants (PubMed)
[1222] Abegglen et al. (2015), Potential Mechanisms for Cancer Resistance in Elephants and Comparative Cellular Response to DNA Damage in Humans (PubMed)
[1193] Mumby et al. (2015), Elephants born in the high stress season have faster reproductive ageing (PubMed)
[1192] Lahdenpera et al. (2014), Reproductive cessation and post-reproductive lifespan in Asian elephants and pre-industrial humans (PubMed)
[1194] Hayward et al. (2014), Early reproductive investment, senescence and lifetime reproductive success in female Asian elephants (PubMed)
[1143] Nussey et al. (2013), Senescence in natural populations of animals: widespread evidence and its implications for bio-gerontology (PubMed)
[1136] Gomes et al. (2011), Comparative biology of mammalian telomeres: hypotheses on ancestral states and the roles of telomeres in longevity determination (PubMed)
[1097] Clubb et al. (2008), Compromised survivorship in zoo elephants (PubMed)
[0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
[0036] Savage et al. (2004), The predominance of quarter-power scaling in biology
[0536] Wiese and Willis (2004), Calculation of longevity and life expectancy in captive elephants
[0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
[1006] Sarma et al. (2002), Medetomidine a novel immobilizing agent for the elephant (Elephas maximus) (PubMed)
[0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
[0568] Jones (1992), Longevity of mammals in captivity--an update (PubMed)
[0002] Caleb Finch (1990), Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome
[0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction
[0436] Cutler (1979), Evolution of human longevity: a critical overview (PubMed)

External Resources

Integrated Taxonomic Information System: ITIS 584938
Animal Diversity Web: ADW account
Encyclopaedia of Life: Search EOL
NCBI Taxonomy: Taxonomy ID 9783
Entrez: Search all databases
Ageing Literature: Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
Images: Google Image search
Internet: Search Google