Elephant genome study offers surprises

WASHINGTON - The most comprehensive elephant genome study ever conducted, covering seven living and extinct species, is offering some surprises about the family tree of the world's largest land animal while also settling a debate about Africa's elephants.

Researchers said on Monday that their research confirmed that the two types of African elephants, those inhabiting forests and those roaming savannas, are separate species that have lived in nearly complete isolation from one another for the past half million years despite their proximity.

They join the Asian elephant as the world's three existing elephant species.