The world’s rarest elephant died 10 days after birth due to illness, making scientists regretful.

According to IFL Science, the elephant named Motty is the rarest elephant in the world recognized by Guinness World Records because it is the only case of hybridization between an African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and an Asian elephant (Loxodonta africana). Elephas maximus).

Baby elephant Motty was born on July 11, 1978 at Chester Zoo in England and was named after founder George Mottershead.

After examination, scientists said this individual was extremely special because it was a hybrid between the male African elephant Jumbolino and the female Asian elephant Sheba through a tissue sample taken from a tiny young male elephant.

When the mother elephant Sheba first became pregnant, scientists guessed the identity of the father because Jumbolino was the only male elephant in the same enclosure as her, although they were still not sure that the baby could survive.

When born or not because these are two different species of elephants, they are even different, meaning these two elephants are relatively far apart on the genetic tree.

Some differences between the two species of African elephants and Asian elephants are that African elephants are larger, 3 – 4 m tall from toe to shoulder, while Asian elephants are only 2 – 3.5 m tall.

In addition, they also have much larger ears that help radiate heat away from their bodies on grasslands, and often have more wrinkled skin.

The hybrid baby elephant between the two species, Motty, has the characteristics of his father and mother with a larger head and ears like an African elephant.

Motty has 5 toenails on the front feet and 4 claws on the hind feet, which are characteristics of Asian elephants. .

The mother elephant gave birth to Motty 6 weeks prematurely, so this baby elephant needed careful care by veterinarians, but unfortunately Motty died of necrotizing enterocolitis just 10 days after birth on July 21, 1978. .

After examining the baby elephant, scientists concluded that it was infected with E.coli bacteria in both its colon and umbilical cord. Motty’s body is preserved in a private collection and kept at the Natural History Museum in London.