I'll add what I can to this thread as I'm somewhat a veteran of discussions about which elephants were used in warfare by ancient peoples


The elephants that the Carthaginians, Numidians, and Ptolemaics used in battle were African Forest Elephants, and not the massive and more famous African Plains or Bush elephants species. These elephants were very small, perhaps if I remember correctly, not much larger than an average American car (although what constitutes an average American car is debatable as well ). I think from what I can remember it was only the Ptolemaics and pehaps Numidians who put towers on these elephants. I distinctly remember reading in a book of mine that the Carthaginians never equipped their elephants with towers, although they mave had archers or javelineers riding on their bare backs.

Turning to the Indian/Asian/Asiatic elephants they were much larger than their Forest elephants cousins (although definitely outmatched by the African Plains/Bush species). They had superior size, stamina (as they are reported as being dowed in bronze armour on many occasions), and battle ferocity. They were also from what i read much more easier to control in battle than Forest elephants, although this could have been caused by the tactic of giving them fermented wine before battle (a tactic used by the Indians for centuries in elephant warfare and may have been adopted by the Seleucids as well).


It's really late where I am right now, 3:35 am to be exact, so I'll make another contribution to this discussion later if I can.