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Borneo Elephant
Borneo Elephant Facts
Kingdom: Five groups that classify all living things | Animalia |
Phylum: A group of animals within the animal kingdom | Chordata |
Class: A group of animals within a pylum | Mammalia |
Order: A group of animals within a class | Proboscidea |
Family: A group of animals within an order | Elephantidae |
Genus: A group of animals within a family | Elephas |
Scientific Name: The name of the animal in science | Elephas Maximus Borneensis |
Type: The animal group that the species belongs to | Mammal |
Diet: What kind of foods the animal eats | Herbivore |
Size (H): How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is | 2m - 3m (7ft - 10ft) |
Weight: The measurement of how heavy the animal is | 3,000kg - 5,000kg (6,500lbs - 11,000lbs) |
Top Speed: The fastest recorded speed of the animal | 43km/h (27mph) |
Lifespan: How long the animal lives for | 55 - 70 years |
Lifestyle: Whether the animal is solitary or sociable | Herd |
Conservation Status: The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct | Critically Endangered |
Colour: The colour of the animal's coat or markings | Grey, Brown, Black |
Skin Type: The protective layer of the animal | Leather |
Favourite Food: The preferred food of this animal | Grass |
Habitat: The specific area where the animal lives | Rainforest and tropical woodland |
Average Litter Size: The average number of babies born at once | 1 |
Main Prey: The food that the animal gains energy from | Grass, Fruit, Roots |
Predators: Other animals that hunt and eat the animal | Human, Tiger |
Distinctive Features: Characteristics unique to this animal | Long trunk and large feet |
Borneo Elephant Location

Map of Asia
Borneo Elephant
The Borneo elephant is a sub-species of Asian elephant which includes the Indian elephant, the Sumatran elephant, the Sri-Lanka elephant and the Borneo elephant. The Borneo elephant is also known as the pygmy elephant as it is the smallest of the elephant sub-species.
As its name suggests, the Borneo elephant is found exclusively on the island of Borneo in the Malaysian state of Sabah and parts of Indonesian Kalimantan. Much of the Borneo elephants natural habitat has been destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations and there are now thought to be less than 1,000 Borneo elephant individuals left in Sabah.
The Borneo elephant has smaller ears than the African elephant and the Borneo elephant also has a more curved spine than the African elephant. Unlike the African elephants, the female Borneo elephants very rarely have tusks, and if the female Borneo elephant does have tusks, they are generally barely visible and can only be seen when the female Borneo elephant opens her mouth.
The Borneo elephant follows strict migration routes that are determined by the monsoon season. The eldest elephant of the Borneo elephant herd is responsible for remembering the migration route of its Borneo elephant herd. This Borneo elephant migration generally takes place between the wet and dry seasons and problems arose when farms where built along the migratory routes of the Borneo elephant herds, as the Borneo elephants caused a great deal of destruction to the newly founded farmland.
Borneo elephants are herbivorous animals meaning that they only eat plants and plant matter in order to gain all of the nutrients that they need to survive. Borneo elephants eat a wide variety of vegetation including grasses, leaves, shoots, barks, fruits, nuts and seeds. Borneo elephants often use their long trunk to assist them in gathering food.
Due to their large size, Borneo elephants have very few predators within their natural environment. Besides human hunters, tigers are the primary predator of the Borneo elephant, although they tend to hunt the smaller Borneo elephant calves rather than the much larger and stronger adults.
Female Borneo elephants are generally able to breed by the time they are 10 years old, and give birth to a single Borneo elephant calf after a 22 month gestation period. When the Borneo elephant calf is first born, it weighs about 100 kg, and is cared for not only by its mother by also by other female Borneo elephants in the herd (known as aunties). The infant Borneo elephant remains with its mother until it is around 5 years old and gains its independence, with males often leaving the herd and female calves staying.
Today, the Borneo elephant is considered to be an animal that is in immediate danger of becoming extinct due to the fact that Borneo elephant populations have been declining at a critical rate. Borneo elephants are thought to be suffering primarily due to habitat loss in the form of deforestation and hunting for their ivory tusks by human poachers.
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Are you Safe?Borneo Elephant Translations
Elefant asiàtic
Slon indický
Asiatisk elefant
Asiatischer Elefant
Borneo Elephant
Azia elefanto
Elephas maximus
India elevant
Aasiannorsu
Éléphant d\'Asie
Elefante asiático
פיל אסייתי
Azijski slon
Ázsiai elefánt
Elephas maximus
アジアゾウ
Elephas maximus
Gajah Asia
Aziatische olifant
Asiatisk elefant
Słoń indyjski
Elefante-asiático
Azijski slon
Asiatisk elefant
Asya fili
Voi châu Á
亚洲象
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First Published: 6th July 2010, Last Updated: 8th November 2019
1. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 06 Jul 2010]
2. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2011]
3. David W. Macdonald, Oxford University Press (2010) The Encyclopedia Of Mammals [Accessed at: 06 Jul 2010]
4. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 06 Jul 2010]
5. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species [Accessed at: 06 Jul 2010]
6. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 06 Jul 2010]
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