While less precise, several observable physical characteristics can provide clues about an elephant’s age. An elephant’s size and shoulder height can offer a rough estimate, particularly for younger animals; for instance, a calf small enough to walk under its mother is typically less than one year old. Tusk size and wear patterns serve as indicators, as tusks grow continuously throughout an elephant’s life, though growth rates and wear can vary. Older elephants may exhibit more prominent ear folds, ragged ear edges, and increased skin wrinkling or deep depressions in their temporal regions, giving them a more gaunt appearance. For more detailed scientific studies, methods like analyzing growth lines in tusks can be used, though these often require examination of deceased animals., For Asian elephants the average lifespan is 47 years old while for African elephants the average lifespan is 56 years old. However, it is thought that elephants in the wild can live up to 100 years old., African elephants, comprising both savanna and forest elephants, typically live 60 to 70 years in their natural habitats. Some individual African males have reached 90 years. Studies of wild female African elephants, such as those in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, indicate a median lifespan of approximately 56 years..