Most elephant subspecies

The species of elephant split into most subspecies is the Asian elephant Elephas maximus. Although there is still much dispute concerning elephant taxonomy, most researchers split this species into four separate subspecies. These are: the Borneo elephant E. m, borneensis, the Indian elephant E. m. indicus, the Sri Lankan elephant E. m. maximus, and the Sumatran elephant E. m. sumatrensis. Certain researchers, however, dispute whether the Bornean elephant is sufficiently distinct taxonomically to warrant classification as a discrete subspecies. Until recently, the two species of African elephant were considered to be subspecies of a single African species, but genetic studies published in 2010 strongly suggested that they were sufficiently distinct from one another to be classed as separate species in their own right.