Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (
            Loxodonta africana
            )

White rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) are odd-toed ungulates that belong to the group Perissodactyla and are second only to elephants in terms of large body mass amongst extant tetrapods, making them fascinating studies for how large land animals support and move themselves. Rhinoceroses often are kept in captivity for protection from ivory poachers and for educational/touristic purposes, yet a detrimental side effect of captivity can be foot disease (i.e. enthesopathies and osteoarthritis around the phalanges). Foot diseases in large mammals are multifactorial, but locomotor biomechanics (e.g. pressures routinely experienced by the feet) surely can be a contributing factor. However, due to a lack of in vivo experimental data on rhinoceros foot pressures, our knowledge of locomotor performance and its links to foot disease is limited. The overall aim of this study was to characterize peak pressures and centre of pressure trajectories in white rhinoceroses during walking. We asked two major questions. First, are peak locomotor pressures the lowest around the fat pad and its lobes (as in the case of elephants)? Second, are peak locomotor pressures concentrated around the areas with the highest reported incidence of pathologies? Our results show a reduction of pressures around the fat pad and its lobes, which is potentially due to the material properties of the fat pad or the fact that our rhinoceros subjects avoided “heel” contact at impact. We also found an even and gradual concentration of foot pressures across all digits, which may be a by-product of the more horizontal foot roll-off during the stance phase. While our exploratory, descriptive sample precluded hypothesis testing, our study provides important new data on rhinoceros locomotion for future studies to build on, and thus impetus for improved implementation in the care of captive/managed rhinoceroses.

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Foot pressure distribution in white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) during walking

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27365 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Olga Panagiotopoulou ◽

Todd C Pataky ◽

John R Hutchinson

Keyword(s):

Large Body ◽

Fat Pad ◽

Foot Pressure ◽

Ceratotherium Simum ◽

Foot Diseases ◽

Heel Contact ◽

In Captivity ◽

Foot Disease ◽

Peak Pressures

White rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) are odd-toed ungulates that belong to the group Perissodactyla and are second only to elephants in terms of large body mass amongst extant tetrapods, making them fascinating studies for how large land animals support and move themselves. Rhinoceroses often are kept in captivity for protection from ivory poachers and for educational/touristic purposes, yet a detrimental side effect of captivity can be foot disease (i.e. enthesopathies and osteoarthritis around the phalanges). Foot diseases in large mammals are multifactorial, but locomotor biomechanics (e.g. pressures routinely experienced by the feet) surely can be a contributing factor. However, due to a lack of in vivo experimental data on rhinoceros foot pressures, our knowledge of locomotor performance and its links to foot disease is limited. The overall aim of this study was to characterize peak pressures and centre of pressure trajectories in white rhinoceroses during walking. We asked two major questions. First, are peak locomotor pressures the lowest around the fat pad and its lobes (as in the case of elephants)? Second, are peak locomotor pressures concentrated around the areas with the highest reported incidence of pathologies? Our results show a reduction of pressures around the fat pad and its lobes, which is potentially due to the material properties of the fat pad or the fact that our rhinoceros subjects avoided “heel” contact at impact. We also found an even and gradual concentration of foot pressures across all digits, which may be a by-product of the more horizontal foot roll-off during the stance phase. While our exploratory, descriptive sample precluded hypothesis testing, our study provides important new data on rhinoceros locomotion for future studies to build on, and thus impetus for improved implementation in the care of captive/managed rhinoceroses.

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Emotional States of African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) Kept for Animal–Visitor Interactions, as Perceived by People Differing in Age and Knowledge of the Species

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030826 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 826

Author(s):

Ilaria Pollastri ◽

Simona Normando ◽

Barbara Contiero ◽

Gregory Vogt ◽

Donatella Gelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Methods ◽

Free Choice ◽

Loxodonta Africana ◽

Procrustes Analysis ◽

Emotional States ◽

African Elephants ◽

Daily Routines ◽

Video Clips ◽

Behavioral Expression ◽

Degree Of Separation

This study aimed to investigate how three groups of people of differing ages, and with differing knowledge of the species, perceived the emotional state of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) managed in captive and semi-captive environments. Fifteen video-clips of 18 elephants, observed during three different daily routines (release from and return to the night boma; interactions with visitors), were used for a free choice profiling assessment (FCP) and then analyzed with quantitative methods. A general Procrustes analysis identified two main descriptive dimensions of elephant behavioral expression explaining 27% and 19% of the variability in the children group, 19% and 23.7% in adults, and 21.8% and 17% in the expert group. All the descriptors the observers came up with showed a low level of correlation on the identified dimensions. All three observers’ groups showed a degree of separation between captive and semi-captive management. Spearman analyses showed that stereotypic “trunk swirling” behavior correlated negatively with first dimension (free/friendly versus sad/bored) in the children’s group; second dimension (agitated/confident versus angry/bored) amongst the adults; and first dimension (active/excited versus agitated/bored) amongst the experts. More studies are needed to investigate other potential differences in assessing elephants’ emotional states by visitors of different ages and backgrounds.

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