The Asian and African elephants are both types of the same elephant species. Yet, they belong to different genera because there are so many variances between the two types of Elephants.
Africa and Asia are home to their respective species of elephants, known as Asian and African elephants. Both types of animals are friendly and congregate in huge groups called herds.
African and Asian elephants are easiest to tell apart by their ears, the shape of their heads, and their tusks.
Ethan of ElephantGuide.com
The simplest way to tell African and Asian elephants apart is by their ears. African elephants have enormous ears that are shaped like the continent of Africa. On the other hand, Asian elephants have much smaller, round ears.
There are two living species within this genus: the larger African savanna elephant, known scientifically as L. Africana, and the smaller African forest elephant, known scientifically as L. cyclotis. The only living species of the genus Elephas, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), is also known as the Asiatic elephant.
The three subspecies of the Asian elephant are E. m. indicus, which lives in mainland Asia; E. m. Maximus, which is from Sri Lanka; and finally, E. m. sumatranus native to Sumatra Island.
