Indian elephant

[ in-dee-uhn el-uh-fuhnt ]

noun

1. the most widely distributed Asian elephant subspecies ( Elephas maximus indicus ), inhabiting the grasslands and forests of mainland Asia, mostly throughout Southeast Asia, and classified as endangered: although its habitat is well spread out, its population has declined by more than half within the past 100 years, and poaching for tusks continues to be a serious threat.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Indian elephant¹

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

“If you look at African elephants and Indian elephants, they’re relatively hairless, but they have very close relatives who were alive hundreds of thousands of years that were completely woolly,” Clark said.

From Washington Post

The elephants that are beloved in Thailand are technically under the Indian elephant category, which is a subspecies of the Asian elephant.

From Fox News

"The circus owners ask us how much room we'll have, if they can reserve space," the Frenchman said at his sprawling refuge that counts Indian elephants and dromedaries among its residents.

From Reuters

Indian elephant: Dissections of elephant eyes show that during the day, the gentle giants likely have red-green color blindness just like some humans, meaning they can’t distinguish the two colors.

From Scientific American

In addition to human performers, nearly 50 different animals, including Indian elephant Sandra, eight camels, five zebras, three ponies and 32 horses, make up the members of the troupe.

From Seattle Times