The animal in the photo (A) is an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). One of the easiest ways to distinguish between an Asian elephant and an African elephant is by looking at its ears. If the ears are large in proportion to the elephant's head, it is an African elephant.
Photo (B) shows an African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Notice that the top edge of this elephant's ears rise above its head and the bottom edge extend to its chin. If the ears of an elephant are relatively small in proportion to the elephant's head, it is an Asian elephant. Photos (A) and (C) show Asian elephants. In both of these photos, the elephant's ears are much smaller in proportion to the elephant's head than those of the African elephant.
Other distinguishing characteristics include the Asian elephant's arched back and the fact that the female of the species lacks tusks (in contrast, female African elephants have tusks).
The ranges of African and Asian elephants are also distinct. Asian elephants inhabit parts of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Nepal, Borneo, and Thailand. African elephants inhabit small pockets of souther Africa. The historic range of the African elephant once included areas south of the Sahara Desert to the southern tip of Africa, from the west coast of Africa to the Indian Ocean.
