family Pachyderm, order Proboscidea, class Mammalia, species Elephas maximus, subspecies Elephas maximus maximus (Sri Lankan elephant)

On the road today between Colombo and Ampara we passed an elephant sanctuary and saw this beauty. I don't precisely know how wild she (female Asian elephants have no tusks) is - this shot was taken between the strands of an electric fence and I think she was hoping for an apple. But the main thing is that this was the closest I've approached an elephant that isn't wearing a gaudy red gown. That's not really a joke; I petted a ceremonial elephant a few weeks ago. I have also, by the way, ridden an elephant for several hours through a Thai jungle, which is also a distinctly different experience from tourist rides that emphasize that, for the elephant's sake, you mustn't wear spike-heeled shoes.

Here's some excellent information about the distinction between African and Indian elephants (of which Sri Lankan elephants are the largest subspecies): African elephants have ears shaped like Africa and Indian elephants have ears shaped like ... India!!!!! (This is not a joke.)

I've grown extremely fond of elephants. While it's true that I may no longer ask my driver to stop when I see one in the distance, this one was too close to ignore. So this is currently my definitive Elephas maximus maximus photo.