Although The Elephant Is Found Throughout Many Countries,
Extending Over An Enormous Area, There Are Only Two Species At
Present In Existence,--The Indian And African; These Are Totally
Different In Their Habits, And Are Distinguished By Peculiarities
Of Form.
The most striking difference is in the shape of the head
and spine.
The head of the Indian species is perfectly distinct;
the forehead, when held in the natural position of inaction, is
perpendicular; and above the slight convexity at the root of the
trunk there is a depression, in shape like a herald's shield: a
bullet in the lower portion of that shield would reach the brain
in a direct line. The head of the African elephant is completely
convex from the commencement of the trunk to the back of the
skull, and the brain is situated much lower than in that of the
Indian species; the bone is of a denser quality, and the cases
for the reception of the tusks are so closely parallel, that
there is barely room for a bullet to find a chance of penetrating
to the brain; it must be delivered in the exact centre, and
extremely low, in the very root of the trunk; even then it will
frequently pass above the brain, as the animal generally carries
his head high, and thrown slightly back. The teeth of the African
elephant differ materially from those of the Indian, by
containing a lesser number of laminae or plates, the surfaces of
which, instead of exhibiting straight and parallel lines like
those of the Indian, are shaped in slight curves, which increase
the power of grinding.
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