Pygmy Elephants
Pygmy Elephants Do Indeed Exist
Yes Virginia, there are pygmy elephants. They are found in the jungles of Africa, and in the tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia. One group of pygmy elephants, thought to be dwarf Indian elephants, has been reported in the past, but they are now believed to have become extinct. That leaves two existing pygmy types, a sub-species of the African Forest elephant, and the Borneo elephant, a pygmy elephant now considered to be a species of elephant separate from the other Asian elephants.
The African Pygmy elephant is not considered to be a distinct subspecies but rather a metamorphosis of the African Forest elephant. It is often classified as a cryptid, a species whose existence has yet to be proven. The fact that African Pygmy elephants do exist, has been proven without a doubt. The question is, to what species or family do they belong? Indications are that they are in reality, a small version of the Forest elephant, and their small size is the result of environmental conditions, rather a function of genetics. The African Pygmy elephant is not tiny, just small by elephant standards. It stands 5 to 6 feet at the shoulder, approximately half the height of a normal Forest elephant. Many of these elephants have no tusks, though some do. They tend to travel in small herds, and have a reputation for being much more aggressive than other elephants. The Forest elephant is smaller than the other African species, the Savannah elephant. It is about 2/3 the size, and for this reason the Forest elephant itself is sometimes called a Pygmy elephant. This understandably leads to some confusion. When one speaks of African Pygmy elephants, it's not clear if the Forest elephant is the subject, or if it's the "little guy".
The Borneo elephant, the other "Pygmy Elephant", was for many years believed to be one of four Asian elephant sub-species, the others being the Indian elephant, the Sumatran elephant, and the Malaysian elephant. Now the Borneo "Pygmy" elephant is considered to be a separate species and not a member of the Asian elephant family at all. Its habitat extends from the northeastern part of the island of Borneo, through parts of Indonesia, and up into Malaysia. It is definitely an endangered species, with a total population believed to be not much greater than 1,000. These pygmies are not as small as the African pygmies, growing to around 7 feet in height at the shoulders. The Asian elephants usually grow to over 9 feet. So these pygmy elephants are still "elephant sized", just on a slightly smaller scale.
The Borneo elephant is the least aggressive of the elephants found in Asia, and certainly much less aggressive than their African counterparts. The African pygmies, being much shorter, may have a complex, leading to their aggressiveness! Yes, the pygmy elephant does exist, in two sizes, small and smaller, but not tiny.