Last Updated on April 15, 2024 by Amin Tawar
Elephant Height & Length
All of you have experienced riding an elephant on a safari during your childhood, and you were undoubtedly amazed by its enormous size.
But exactly how large is an elephant? One of the parameters to look at while understanding the overall size of a species is its length and overall height.
The height of an elephant can vary depending on its species and where it lives. African elephants are generally taller than Asian elephants, with the former reaching up to 2.5 to 4 m (8.2 to 13 feet) tall at the shoulder.
Asian elephants, on the other hand, typically grow to be about 5.5–6.5 m (18–21 ft) tall at the shoulder.
In terms of length, elephants are also quite large. The average adult male African elephant is about 21-24 feet long, while the average adult female is about 19-22 feet long.
Asian elephants are slightly smaller, with the average adult male being about 18-20 feet long and the average adult female is about 17-19 feet long.
Overall, elephants are truly massive animals, both in terms of height and length. Their enormous size is one of the key factors that set them apart from other land animals and makes them so impressive.
| Elephant Height & Length | African elephant | Asian elephant |
| Male | Height: 3.2–4 m (10.4-13 ft) Length: 21-24 feet | Height: 2.7-3 m (8.8-9.8 ft) Length: 5.5–6.5 m (18–21 ft |
| Female | Height: 2.2–2.6 m (7.2–8.5 ft) Length: 19-20 feet | Height: 2-2.4 m (6.5-7.9 ft) Length:17-19 feet |
Read Complete Height Comparison Of Elephant Here
Elephant Weight
Moving on, the weight of an elephant is also an important factor in its overall size and body composition.
Their enormous weight is one of the key characteristics that set them apart from other land animals and make them so impressive.
Despite their massive size, elephants are surprisingly agile and capable of adapting to a variety of environments.
In terms of size, specifically in weight, it would not be any surprise that the African elephants are by far the largest of all land animals.
African elephants are generally larger and heavier than Asian elephants, with the average adult African elephant weighing between 1,800 and 6,300 kg (2 and 7 tons/ 4,000 and 14,000 lb) and the average adult Asian elephant weighing between 2,750 and 5,420 kg (6,000 and 12,000 lbs).
The largest elephant ever recorded was a male African elephant that weighed about 24,000 pounds (10886.2 kg).
In terms of their overall body composition, elephants have a relatively high proportion of fat compared to other land animals.
This helps to insulate their bodies and provide them with energy reserves, which is important for animals that live in environments with limited food availability.
Additionally, elephants have thick skin and a layer of fat beneath their skin that helps to protect them from injuries and extreme temperatures. 1
| Elephant weight | African elephant | Asian elephant |
| Male | 4,700–6,048 kg (10,362–13,334 lb) | 4 t (8000 lbs) |
| Female | 2,160–3,232 kg (4,762–7,125 lb) | 2.7 t (5,400 lbs) |
Read Elephant Weight Comparison Here
Baby Elephant Size
While the adult elephants are quite large and giant in size, their young ones are not really very small when compared to young ones of other animal species.
That is, baby elephants, also known as calves, are born after a gestation period of around 22 months, are typically around 1 m (3 ft) tall, and weigh between 120 kg (264 lb) at birth. Despite their small size at birth, baby elephants are able to stand up and walk within just a few hours.
During their first year or two of life, baby elephants grow quickly and can gain up to 200 pounds per month.
This rapid growth allows them to reach a size and weight similar to that of adult elephants by the time they are one year old.
By the time they reach adolescence at around age 10, they will be fully grown and will have reached their adult size.
Quite surprisingly and not so surprisingly, baby elephants are born small but grow quickly, reaching adult size by the time they are around 12 years old.
They are able to stand and walk soon after birth and will continue to grow and develop until they reach their full size.
Elephant Full Size
When a species reaches maturity and is no longer able to grow in terms of height or weight, it is said to be fully grown.
At the shoulders, a fully grown elephant can stand up to 13 feet tall and weigh up to 11,000 pounds.
A fully grown elephant typically reaches adulthood between the ages of 35 and 40, when they reach heights of 3 meters and weights of up to 6,000 kilograms. Large wild elephants, on the other hand, have a lifespan of up to 60 to 70 years.
Males and females also mature at different ages and have different full-grown sizes. For example, male elephants are frequently bigger than female elephants.
Elephant Brain Size
In addition to their giant body size, elephants are also known for their high level of intelligence and have been observed using tools, solving problems, and even demonstrating empathy towards other elephants.
They have a highly developed hippocampus, which is the part of the brain associated with learning, memory, and spatial navigation.
Their high level of intelligence could be due to their relatively large brain size. The brain of an adult elephant can weigh up to 11 pounds or 4.5 – 5 kg, and is about 3–4 times larger than the human brain, making it the largest brain of any land animal.
Despite their large size, however, elephant brains are not significantly larger than the brains of other mammals relative to their body size.
Overall, the large size of the elephant’s brain allows them to exhibit advanced cognitive abilities and complex social behaviors.
Elephant Teeth Size
Apart from their large size and intelligence, one of the fascinating characteristics of elephants is their ivory tusks, which are their massive teeth that extend well beyond elephants’ mouths.
These elongated incisor elephant teeth can be up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 220 pounds.
In addition to their tusks (incisor elephant teeth), their molars can be up to 12 inches long, 6 inches wide, and weigh up to 9 pounds.
Elephants use their enormous teeth for a variety of purposes, including grinding up their food and digging for water and plants.
They have four sets of molars, and as they wear down and fall out, new ones grow in to replace them.
Despite their large size, however, elephant teeth are not significantly larger than the teeth of other mammals relative to their body size.
Elephant Trunk Size
An elephant’s trunk is incredibly strong, thanks to the 40,000 muscles that make it up. Elephants can use their trunks to lift objects weighing up to 600 pounds, and they can also use them to delicately pick up small objects.
Talking about the size of an elephant’s trunk, the size of an elephant’s trunk varies depending on the individual elephant and its age. In general, however, an adult elephant’s trunk can be up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 400 pounds.
Elephant Ear Size
The elephant, as you would have seen, is not only big in terms of its overall size, teeth, or trunk but also has large and enormous ears.
However, have you ever wondered how large it could be? Let me tell you, elephants have the largest ears of any land animal. Their ears can be up to 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide and can weigh up to 100 pounds.
Elephants use their giant ears for a variety of purposes, including thermoregulation, communication, and defense.
Their large ears help them to dissipate heat, allowing them to stay cool in hot environments.
They can also use their ears to make a variety of sounds, including low-frequency rumbles that can be heard over long distances.
Elephant Testis & Penis Size
Moving on, let’s talk about the reproduction and sexual characteristics of an elephant. To begin with, elephants use their testes and penis for reproduction, and they also play a role in their social behavior.
Male elephants use their testes and penis during mating rituals, and they will also use them to mark their territory and establish dominance over other males. In addition, they may also use it to display their fitness and attractiveness to potential female mates.
In general, an adult male elephant’s testes can weigh up to 22 pounds, and its penis can be up to 5-6 feet long and have a diameter of 16 cm (6 in) at the base.
Elephant Poop Size
Elephants are herbivores, which means that plants make up the majority of their diet, and because of their large size, they require a lot of food to maintain their size.
As a result, elephants egest and remove waste much more than other species and so have a larger size of poop in a day.
The size of an elephant’s poop varies depending on the individual elephant and its diet. In general, however, an adult elephant can produce up to 300 pounds of poop per day.
However, the large amounts of elephant waste do not go in vain, that is elephant poop is made up of undigested plant material, such as leaves, twigs, and grass, as well as microorganisms that help to break down the food.
Elephants will typically defecate several times a day, and their poop is often used as a source of fertilizer for plants.
Elephant Foot Size
As elephants are quite giantly built and have a huge body weight to carry around, their legs and feet are built in a way so that their weight is balanced.
The foot of an elephant is quite large and powerful, if you ever come across an elephant be careful as it can easily crush you under its legs.
An elephant’s foot is made up of several bones and tendons, and it is surrounded by a thick layer of padding that helps to distribute its weight and protect its joints.
This padding, along with the shape of their feet, allows elephants to walk quietly and efficiently, even on soft or uneven ground. The average elephant foot is 1.5 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, and measures 1.34 meters in circumference.
Elephant Heart & Kidney Size
Elephants have a four-chambered heart, like humans, and their heart rate is typically around 25-35 beats per minute.
Their kidneys are also similar to those of humans, and they are responsible for filtering waste products from the blood and excreting them in the urine.
Overall, the size of an elephant’s heart and kidney is quite lighter and smaller with respect to its overall body size.
For instance, although an elephant’s heart can weigh anywhere between 12 and 28 kg, it only makes up about 0.5% of the animal’s total body weight.
Their kidneys are also similar to those of humans, the left kidney weighed 2950 g (6.3 lbs), had a craniocaudal length of 31 cm, and a mediolateral length of 21 cm. The right kidney weighed 3250 g (7.1 lbs), had a craniocaudal length of 34 cm, and a mediolateral length of 22 cm.
Elephant Liver & Lung Size
Elephants use their livers and lungs, like other organisms, for a number of activities, including digestion, respiration, and detoxification.
Additionally, elephants also have a three-chambered liver, which performs a number of tasks including breaking down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Depending on the individual elephant and its age, an elephant’s liver and lungs can vary in size. However, an adult elephant’s liver and lungs can typically weigh up to 22 and 11 pounds, respectively.
Elephant Size Compared To Human
Elephants are truly majestic and impressive animals due to their enormous size. Quite like any other living species, they are a vital part of many ecosystems and play important roles in maintaining the balance of nature.
However, have you ever compared yourself with the size of such a giant-looking animal? If not, let’s do it together.
Elephants are much larger than humans and are the largest land animals on Earth. Adult elephants can weigh as much as 11,000 pounds and stand up to 13 feet tall at the shoulder, while the average human weighs around 150-176 pounds and stands around 5.5-5.9 feet tall.
In comparison to adult humans, elephants are about 2 times larger in height and 10 times heavier. If by mistake, you get in a fight with a giant African elephant, it is quite sure that you would come dead or fully fractured!
| Animal species | Average length/height | Weight |
| Elephant | 7.10 to 13 feet (2.5 to 4 meters) | 1,800 and 6,300 kg (2 and 7 tons/ 4,000 and 14,000 lb.) |
| Average adult human | 5.5 to 5.9 feet | 150-176 pounds (60 to 80 kgs) |
Elephant Size Compared To Mammoth
While it quite really helps in understanding the size of a creature by its own height or weight, it could be even more helpful if you look at it from the perspective of the size of a different animal such as the large Mammoth. This is because one key difference between mammoths and modern elephants is their size.
Mammoths were a type of prehistoric elephant that lived during the Pleistocene epoch, from about 2.5 million to 4,500 years ago.
They were generally slightly larger than modern elephants, and some species, such as the wooly mammoth, could weigh up to 15,000 pounds and stand up to 14 feet tall at the shoulder.
In contrast, the elephants are slightly smaller, having a height of about 8.2 to 13 feet (2.5 to 4 meters) and a weight of around 4,000 and 14,000 pounds.
Both are giant animals, but one is slightly larger than the other.
| Animal species | Average length/height | Weight |
| Elephant | 7.10 to 13 feet (2.5 to 4 meters) | 1,800 and 6,300 kg (2 and 7 tons/ 4,000 and 14,000 lb.) |
| Mammoth | 4 m (13.1 ft) at the shoulder | 5,500 and 7,300 kg (between about 6 and 8 tons) |
Elephant Vs Hippo Size Comparison
Now that we’ve made a comparison with an animal that is larger than an elephant, let’s look at one that is slightly smaller.
The hippo or hippopotamus is the second largest land animal after the elephant. Although It is difficult to say for certain who would win in a fight between an elephant and a hippo, there is a high chance that an elephant would take over due to its large and powerful tusks.
Talking about their size difference, elephants and hippos are both large, herbivorous mammals, but they differ in their size and physical characteristics.
Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth, and adult elephants can weigh as much as 11,000 pounds and stand up to 13 feet tall at the shoulder.
Hippos, on the other hand, are generally smaller, and adult hippos can weigh up to 8,000 pounds and stand up to 5 feet tall at the shoulder.
| Animal species | Average length/height | Weight |
| Elephant | 7.10 to 13 feet (2.5 to 4 meters) | 1,800 and 6,300 kg (2 and 7 tons/ 4,000 and 14,000 lb.) |
| Hippo | 1.4 m (4.6 ft) at the shoulder 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.75 m) long | 1,480 kg (3,260 lb) |
Conclusion
And that was every thing you need to know about the size of Elephant. I hope this article was informative enough and your queries were answered.
Thank You For Reading!
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