Elephants belong to the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, and are divided into two species: the Asian elephant (Indian elephant) and the African elephant. They are characterized by their large bodies, long trunks, cylindrical legs, large ears, and large heads. Asian elephants originated in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia; African elephants originated in sub-Saharan Africa. Modern elephants evolved from the ancestral elephants of 50 million years ago.
The ancestral elephant resembled a pig, lived like a hippopotamus, and lacked tusks and a long trunk. 30 million years ago, one branch of the ancestral elephant evolved into the saber-toothed elephant, and then gradually evolved into modern elephants, namely African elephants and Asian elephants. Their direct ancestor was the mammoth.
The history of elephant domestication dates back to ancient times. Ancient stone carvings unearthed in the Mohenjo-da region of the Indus Valley depict docile elephants covered with blankets, indicating that elephants were domesticated for riding and carrying loads. Legend has it that the Chinese emperors Yao and Shun tamed elephants to plow fields. The Tang Dynasty scholar Fan Chuo's "Man Shu" describes agricultural techniques in Xishuangbanna: "Elephants are as large as water buffaloes. The local custom is to raise elephants to plow fields and burn their dung."
