scholarly journals Chemical Composition of the Temporal Gland Secretion of an Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Elephant ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 67-68
Author(s):  
P. S. Easa
2016 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 839-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connie Duer ◽  
Tom Tomasi ◽  
Charles I. Abramson

Even in the best situations, the artificial social constructs of captivity alter natural elephant behavior and unfortunately create distress. Asian elephants are powerful and intelligent animals that require consideration for their well-being and prudent management. The males present particular difficulties due to a temporary state of heightened aggressive behavior unique to male elephants called “musth.” When he is in this state, the danger the elephant poses to other animals and the people around him is considerable. In addition to antagonistic behavior, musth is also characterized by temporal gland secretion and urine dribbling. In previous studies, musth has been attributed to elevated testosterone levels. This study attempted to enhance the knowledge base concerning these phenomena by examining hormone concentrations ( n = 357) in Onyx, a male Asian elephant housed at Dickerson Park Zoo, with intermittent access to females ( n = 1–5) over a 12-year period. Behavior and signs of musth also were recorded daily by elephant department staff. Musth indicators (temporal gland secretion, aggression, urine dribbling) increased with musth but not prior to it. We confirmed that temporal gland secretion was a better indicator of behavioral musth than urine dribbling. Hormones concentrations increased as musth approached, and presumably initiated musth indicators, but variability was high. Therefore, these hormones cannot be used to predict the onset of musth in this individual. Rather, the free/total testosterone ratio was a good indication of the 60-day pre-musth period. In addition, testosterone production and musth indicators increased in intensity when a young bull at the zoo started entering musth.


Author(s):  
Paramaa Raha ◽  
Mousumi Poddar-Sarkar ◽  
Utpal K. Nag ◽  
Radhaballabh Bhar ◽  
Ratan L. Brahmachary

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Lauren J. Hale ◽  
Kun Shi ◽  
Tania C. Gilbert ◽  
Kelvin S.-H. Peh ◽  
Philip Riordan

Abstract The Asian elephant Elephas maximus is at risk of extinction as a result of anthropogenic pressures, and remaining populations are often small and fragmented remnants, occupying a fraction of the species' former range. Once widely distributed across China, only a maximum of 245 elephants are estimated to survive across seven small populations. We assessed the Asian elephant population in Nangunhe National Nature Reserve in Lincang Prefecture, China, using camera traps during May–July 2017, to estimate the population size and structure of this genetically important population. Although detection probability was low (0.31), we estimated a total population size of c. 20 individuals, and an effective density of 0.39 elephants per km2. Social structure indicated a strong sex ratio bias towards females, with only one adult male detected within the population. Most of the elephants associated as one herd but three adult females remained separate from the herd throughout the trapping period. These results highlight the fragility of remnant elephant populations such as Nangunhe and we suggest options such as a managed metapopulation approach for their continued survival in China and more widely.


1990 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Ossent ◽  
F. Guscetti ◽  
A. E. Metzler ◽  
E. M. Lang ◽  
A. Rübel ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imke Lueders ◽  
Thomas Bernd Hildebrandt ◽  
Charles Gray ◽  
Stephan Botha ◽  
Peter Rich ◽  
...  

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Montgomery ◽  
Jamie Raupp ◽  
Methodius Mukhwana ◽  
Ashley Greenleaf ◽  
Tutilo Mudumba ◽  
...  

AbstractBoth African elephants (Loxodonta spp.) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) across their range come into conflict with people because of their crop-raiding behavior, which presents profound impediments to farmer livelihoods. In response, a series of interventions, designed to reduce elephant crop raiding have been applied. Based on an extensive review of elephant crop-raiding studies published over a 31-year period, we identified four primary categories of interventions including: (i) detection efforts; (ii) preemptive measures; (iii) fencing and trenches; and (iv) deterrent techniques. The interventions reported to be most effective involved chili peppers (i.e., fences, spray, and briquettes) and crop guarding coupled with deterrents. The extent to which these interventions can be applied more widely is unclear as only two studies examined efficacy across sites in more than one country. Thus, future inquiry should evaluate the ability of effective interventions, or indeed a combination of interventions, to be applied across the range of elephants to reduce crop raiding at scale.


2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 793-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Wong ◽  
Ramiro Isaza ◽  
J. Kelly Cuthbert ◽  
Dennis E. Brooks ◽  
Don A. Samuelson

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