14 DAY TRIAL // For the first time ever, biologists have been able to identify an instance of dwarfism (reduced body size) in elephants. Images and details of the adorable little creature were published in the latest issue of the IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group journal Gajah.
The dwarf animal is a male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), which has a height of just 1.5 meters (around 5 feet). Biologists in Sri Lanka observed it as it was engaged in an aggressive encounter with another elephant of the same species, but of normal height, Mongabay reports.
According to the research team that published the work, the dwarf elephant appeared to have initiated the aggression, since it was probably older than the normal-height animal. “Other than for the disproportionately short legs, morphologically and behaviorally the dwarf appeared normal,” the team said.
The reason why researchers do not find so many dwarf animals in the wild is that being born with short legs and a smaller body – regardless if the creature is a predator or prey – is usually a very short path to an early grave. The fact that the recently found dwarf elephant was able to reach adulthood is an accomplishment in and of itself.