# Can Indian and African elephants be crossbred? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2001, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183 "2001-05-12T06:51:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stingray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stingray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stingray)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2001, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/1 "2001-05-12T06:51:58Z")
I was watching a show the other day about elephants. They discussed both African & Indian elephants. This question occured to me while watching it. I was sure they would answer it, but they never did. I’ve never heard of it being tried, but if they would cross a lion with a tiger, you’d think they’d try with elephants. This is an easy one, but are they different species or just different breeds? Thanx, Stingray ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2001, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/2 "2001-05-12T12:03:06Z")
Yes, apparently African elephants and Indian elephants can interbreed. But not with successful results. > [@](#): > > _From some site I found on Google which I can’t link to, darn it!_ > The modern Asian and African elephants began to evolve as different species before about two million years ago. It was after this that the mammoths diverged from the Asian Elephants. The Woolly Mammoth was, therefore, more closely related to the Asian Elephant than the African. As there is one know case of a pair of Asian and African elephants producing a live (albeit short-lived) offspring, it may have been possible for a Woolly Mammoth to cross-breed with an Asian Elephant if the former were alive today. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2001, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/3 "2001-05-12T12:05:45Z")
They are indeed different species. They are actually in different genera. Both members of the the family Elephantidae, but Asian elephants are _Elephas maximus_ and African elephants are _Loxodonta africana_. Curses, not quick enough–I got scooped on the woolly mammoth thing. : ) ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/4 "2001-05-12T14:39:52Z")
Was it this website? [http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/hhistory/mammoth/mammothstory.html](http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/hhistory/mammoth/mammothstory.html) > [@](#): > > The modern Asian and African elephants began to evolve as different species before about two million years ago. It was after this that the mammoths diverged from the Asian Elephants. The Woolly Mammoth was, therefore, more closely related to the Asian Elephant than the African. As there is one know case of a pair of Asian and African elephants producing a live (albeit short-lived) offspring, it may have been possible for a Woolly Mammoth to cross-breed with an Asian Elephant if the former were alive today. Or was it from this message board, which quotes from the above page and has it linked, but the link no longer works? [http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a6851582a69.htm](http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a6851582a69.htm) I found the original website by putting the exact phrase into Google. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stingray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stingray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stingray)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2001, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/5 "2001-05-12T19:12:59Z")
Thanx very much! I don’t know why I couldn’t find anything on it. I forgot about Asian elephants. I want to throw those into the loop too. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/6 "2001-05-13T01:30:27Z")
Um Stingray, the “Indian” elephants are the Asian elephants. ---
**Author:** ![Stingray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stingray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stingray)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/7 "2001-05-13T03:09:16Z")
Sorry, feel so stupid right about now. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/8 "2001-05-13T03:21:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stingray \* > \*\* > Sorry, feel so stupid right about now. > \*\* No need to feel stupid! You asked a great question, right off the bat, and even the smartest, hippest people on the planet slip up now and then. I look forward to seeing you around! ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2001, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/9 "2001-05-13T11:42:08Z")
**DDG** : Yeah, you got it. Darn link wouldn’t work, then the gremlins got going, an’ it was too early in the morning an’ I should have been asleep _mutter_. Thanks! **Stingray** – I hear you call yourself stupid on these here forums one more time, I’ll come over an’ whup you good, hear? ;). You asked a cool question. Ask us some more, 'kay? ---
**Author:** ![Stingray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stingray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stingray)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-indian-and-african-elephants-be-crossbred/65183/10 "2001-05-14T05:43:21Z")
If I come up with another question, I definitely will. You guys sure beat [ask.com](http://ask.com)! 🙂