There are several anatomical and behavioral differences between African and Asian elephants.

Ears

• African savanna elephants have large ears shaped much like the continent of Africa.
• African forest elephant ears are more oval-shaped. 
• Asian elephant ears are smaller and more rounded.
• Elephants use their ears to communicate and to regulate their body temperature.

Body

• African elephants have a rounded head.
• Asian elephants have a twin-domed head.
• African elephants display a sway back and very wrinkled skin.
• Asian elephants have rounded backs and relatively smooth skin.

Tusks

• Like many herbivores, elephants have high crowned teeth called hypsodonts that are continually growing.
• Elephants have six sets of molars throughout their life; the molars shed as they age.
• African elephants of both sexes generally grow long incisor teeth called tusks.
• Among Asian elephants, only males exhibit tusks, and not all males have them.
  
• Tusks are modified, elongated incisors, and are essentially like other teeth, continuously growing throughout an elephant’s life. It is common for elephants in the wild and in human care to periodically chip distal portions of their tusks as they engage in natural foraging and social behaviors.
• Elephants in human care may require routine tusk trims to prevent overgrowth.
• Approximately one-third of a tusk is embedded deep in an elephant’s skull. Hidden from view, this portion of the tusk contains a core pulp cavity that contains tissue, blood, and nerves. The portion of the tusk that is visible is made of dentine with an outer layer of enamel.
• Tusks are used for a variety of tasks, including foraging, digging, moving objects, stripping bark from trees and logs, and for protection.
  
• Evidence suggests that some elephants may prefer one tusk over the other.
  

Trunk

• African elephants have two small finger-like projections at the end of the trunk. Asian elephants have one small finger-like projection at the end of the trunk.
• These “fingers” are very sensitive and make it possible for elephants to pick up very small objects.
• The trunk is used for communication, breathing, feeding, drinking, a wide variety of self-care behaviors such as mudding and digging and to pick up and manipulate objects.

• All elephants are herd animals with a very definite social structure.
  
• Family herds are led by a matriarch, usually the oldest female, and are made up of daughters, sisters, and their offspring.
  
• Male elephants stay with the herd through adolescence and leave the herd around the age of 15.
  
• Male elephants can remain solitary but often band together in small bachelor groups.
  
• African savanna elephants can live in very large herds consisting of anywhere from 20 to 70 individuals. It is common for the African forest elephants and the Asian elephants to live in smaller herds.

• All elephants are herbivores, consuming only plant material. You can help The Sanctuary Feed an Elephant for a day with a donation of $50.
  
• African elephants are browsers, primarily eating whole trees, leaves, twigs, and bark. They also eat large quantities of grass in the wet season.
  
• Asian elephants are primarily grazers, consuming a wide range of grasses and plants, including large amounts of bamboo.