Elephant

The Elephant is a huntable animal and source of food in Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms, and Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties.

Age of Empires
Elephants are a large Food source, although with a high number of hitpoints, they are difficult to take down. They provide a large amount of food and to have access to a herd is useful when the player needs a quick food boost, although fishing will give an equal amount of food, faster, but with no (or less) danger. At least 5 Villagers should be used when attacking elephants, as they will charge and attack when hunted. Any less than 5 villagers puts the player's villagers at risk and are likely to lose at least one. Alternatively, since elephants move slowly, Villagers (or Archers) can use hit-and-run tactics to wear it down.

The elephant's tendency to charge at attackers can also be used to the player advantage in that he or she can lure it closer to their Town Center or Storage Pit so that the food can be harvested more quickly before spoiling. Elephants do not attack unless first provoked, unlike the more aggressive Lion and Alligator, so the player can safely move Villagers or other units through packs of elephants so long as they are not looking to start a fight with them.

Age of Empires II
The Elephant is introduced in The African Kingdoms as a huntable animal. Found mainly in maps set in Africa or India, it behaves similarly to the Wild Boar, aggressively attacking any unit which provokes it. It is quite fast and deals a large amount of melee damage, so it is recommended to hunt it with a substantial group of Villagers. It gives even more food than the Wild Boar, peaking at 400, making it the most valuable of the wildlife food sources in Age of Empires II.

Age of Mythology
Like in the other games, the Elephant is a huntable source of Food. Elephants will fight back if hunted and can easily kill villagers, it is advisable for players to hunt Elephants with a group of civilian units.

The Elephant in Age of Mythology has more Hit Points than any other huntable animal, twice as much as the second most powerful, the rhinoceros. They also have 50% more Food that can be gathered, so they are usually worth the risk.

Age of Empires III


The Elephant is also a large Food source in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. Like the elephants in Age of Empires and Age of Mythology, Wild Elephants are huntable animals. Unlike in Age of Mythology and Age of Empires, elephants in Age of Empires III do not attack when hunted and are harmless. They can be found on some Asian Maps (including Indochina, Deccan, and Ceylon).

History
"Scientific Name: Elephas maximus (Indian); Loxodonta Africana (African) Approx. Size: 3.5 tons (Indian); 7 tons (African) Diet: Grasses, leaves, twigs, bark, shoots, fruit, flowers, roots, tubers, bulbs Famous for its muscular snout and regal curved tusks, the elephant is the world’s largest land animal. Because of its immense appetite, an elephant will often stay close to areas with abundant supplies of water and vegetation, although herds migrate seasonally to find fresh resources. Even with a long natural lifespan of sixty years or more, the elephant has faced a number of challenges to its survival. During the last 40 million years, the number of elephant species on earth has dropped from more than 600 to only three: the savannah and forest elephants of Africa, and the Asian elephant. This is due to climate fluctuations and the resulting vegetation changes, as well as the negative impact of humanity. Mature elephants have no natural enemies except the human being. During the twentieth century, the elephant population fell from an estimated 5-10 million to nearly 400,000."

Military Elephant Units
In every game of the series, elephants also are sent into battle by some Asian and African civilizations as heavy cavalry units. The following military units use/are elephants: The following units appear exclusively in Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties, and are available to the Indians: Also, there are some Elephant Heroes:
 * War Elephant in Age of Empires, AoE II and III
 * Elephant Archer in Age of Empires and AoE II
 * Battle Elephant in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas
 * Elite Battle Elephant (upgrade to the Battle Elephant)
 * Ballista Elephant in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas
 * Flail Elephant
 * Siege Elephant
 * Howdah
 * Mahout Lancer
 * Brahmin
 * War Elephant
 * Khosrau
 * Hero Hannibal
 * Tabinshwehti
 * Bayinnaung
 * Suryavarman I