As we know, there are two kinds of elephants: the African and the Asian elephants, which are the largest【1】______animals in the

The African and the Asian elephants are the largest land animals. They are really enormous animals. The African and the Asian elephants are alike, or similar, in many ways, but there are differences between the two types of elephants, too.
   What are some of the similarities between the African and the Asian elephants? Well, for one thing, both animals have long noses, called trunks. An elephant sometimes uses its trunk like a third hand. Both kinds of elephants use their trunks to pick up very small objects and very large, heavy objects. They can even pick up trees with their trunks. For another thing, both the African and the Asian elephants have very large ears, al- though the African elephants’ ears are considerably larger.
   In addition, both animals are intelligent. They can be trained to do heavy work. They can also be trained to do tricks to entertain people. In other words, they both work for people, and they entertain people, also.
   As I said before, the African and the Asian elephants are alike in many ways, but they are also quite different, too. The African male elephant weighs between 12,000 and 14,000 pounds. In contrast, the average Asian male elephant weighs between 7,000 and 12,000 pounds.
   Another major difference between the two kinds of elephants is the size of the ears. Asian elephants have smaller ears than African elephants do. The teeth are different, too. The African elephant has two very large teeth. These teeth are called tusks. The Asian elephant sometimes does not have any tusks at all. The eleplants differ in color, too. The African elephant is dark gray in color while the Asian elephant is light gray. Occasionally an Asian elephant is even white in color! The last big difference between the two kinds of eleplants is their temperament. The Asian elephant is tamer than the African elephant. In other words, the African elephant is much wilder than the Asian elephant. As a result, it is more difficult to train the African elephant to perform tricks to entertain people. That’s why the elephants you see in the circus are probably Asian elephants -- not African elephants.
   Now let us summarise the main facts again. The African and the Asian elephants are enormous land animals. They share many similarities such as having long trunks, large ears and intelligence. Their trunks can be used to pick up either very small or very large heavy objects. Both of them can be trained to do heavy work and to entertain people.
   Nevertheless, there are major differences between the two kinds of elephants. Firstly, regarding their average weight, the African elephant is larger and heavier than the Asian elephant. Secondly, they differ from each other in the size of their ears. Thirdly, their teeth or tusks are different. Fourthly, the two kinds of elephants also differ in terms of their color. Lastly, they are quite different in their temperament. People believe that the Asian elephant is tamer than the African elephant. That’s why the elephants we see in the circus are probably Asian elephants.
   Yes, there certainly are differences between the African and the Asian elephants, but there is one big similarity between the two animals: they are both fascinating and enormous animals.