Dakshayani is the world's oldest living elephant and will soon be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. According to the India Times, Dakshayani lives in Kerala and is 86 years old. The elephant is owned by the Travancore Devasom Board -- they have contacted the Guinness Book and have requested that their elephant be officially documented.
There are 33 other elephants living in the area and the Travancore Devasom Board says that Dakshayani is the oldest.
"As a first step to enter the Guinness, we are honoring her on Wednesday, and we will be working towards this. On the day a special postal cover of Dakshayani from the Kerala Circle Postal Service would be issued," said the TDB president according to the India Times.
The oldest living elephant documented was 85-years-old and lived in Taiwan. That elephant died back in 2003 according to the TBD.
"Identifying elephants isn't difficult, but it requires using powers of observation and it takes a bit of practice. There are many different characteristics that you can use to identify an elephant: sex; body size; shape; length and configuration of the tusks; size and shape of the ears; ear venation patterns; notches, tears, holes in the ears," reports the site.
The average lifespan of elephants ranges from 50 to 70 years old. Japan's oldest elephant, Hanako, died this past May at age 69 after sparking protests over its captivity. Earlier this month, Egypt's oldest elephant, Karimah, died at age 51.
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