on its body

He is riding an elephants on its back.

He is riding on an elephant. (Is this sentence the same as the OP's?)

Yoong LiatHe is riding on an elephant. (Is this sentence the same as the OP's?)

I thought he was specifying where on the elephant the man was. It is usual, to judge by the movies I've seen, for a person to sit on the elephant's neck. You could also sit on the head, I suppose. To sit on the body as opposed to sitting on the neck or head seems logical, but it so

Thanks, enoon.

Would the sentence be better if phrased as follows?

He was riding on the back of an elephant..

Yoong LiatThanks, enoon.Would the sentence be better if phrased as follows?He was riding on the back of an elephant..

That emphasizes that he was riding an elephant. The other way emphasizes where on the elephant he sat. One is not better than the other, unless all you want to say is one or the other. The original might be better as, "He was riding on the elep

Thanks, enoon.

He is riding an elephants on its back. (I think this sentence sounds odd with 'an'. Do you agree with me?)
He was riding on the elephant's back.

Here he comes. I had no idea he would be riding anything, let alone an elephant. But there he is, riding an elephant on its back. I guess he never rode one before or he'd sit up on its neck where he could steer it at least a little.

Although illogical, I get the image of the elephant on its back, feet up in the air.

BarbaraPAAlthough illogical, I get the image of the elephant on its back, feet up in the air.

I agree. The sentence sounds odd. I can also imagine the rider below the elephant, hopefully he is still alive.