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African Elephant Communication
- 1. African Elephants Social Groups and Communication RACHELLE MARTIN UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
- 2. African Elephant Scientific name: Loxodonta africana Class: Mammalia Order: Proboscidea Family: Elephantidae Lifespan in wild: about 65 yrs Appearance: large ears, concave backs, grey all over body Height: 2.2-4 meters tall Weigh: 2100-6000 kg Diet: Herbivore can eat up to 450 kg of vegetation per day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African _elephant(Connor, 2015)
- 3. Where African Elephants are Found Found in Arkansas? They are only kept in captivity Closest relative in Arkansas: Lagomorpha (rabbits) Habitat: dense forests, deserts, and woodlands Geographical location: Sub-Saharan Africa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa n_elephant (Connor, 2015)
- 4. Anatomy & Appearance Skin: very sensitive, protect skin by wallowing in mud or putting sand over bodies Feet: walk on tip toes, weight is evenly distributed at heel Ears: used for temp. regulation Trunk: equivalent to human nose and upper lip Contains about 100,00 different muscles Used for smelling, breathing, snorkeling, drinking, grabbing, and trumpeting Muscles are strong enough to kill a lion (Williams, 2013) https://en.upali.ch/anatomy-of- the-elephants/
- 5. African Elephant Phylogeny http://www.bio.miami.ed u/dana/106/106F14_9.ht ml Elephants fall in the Afrotheria in the Proboscidea order
- 6. African Elephant Social Structure & Herd Behavior Travel in a group of 2-8 individuals Family groups are mostly mothers and several of her offspring Or several females and their offspring Males leave the group when they mature Do not usually interact with other family groups Males are solitary Only associate with other elephants during mating seasons Males are dominant because they are larger than females (Connor, 2015) https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/wp- content/uploads/2014/09/African-Elephant- herd-CC-VaughanLeiberum.jpg
- 7. Male Behavior Polygynous Males compete for females Experience musth Hormonal state of increased aggression Secretes a fluid from the temporal gland Begins at ages 15-25 years old Behavior during musth Walk more erect Rub side of heads on trees or bushes to spread their scent Lower calling Urination on inside on hind legs (Connor, 2015) https://en.upali.ch/musth/
- 8. Female Behavior Go through 4 stages during estrous: Wariness Estrous walk Leaves her family group and walks with head held high and looks for male to be following her from behind Chase Consortship Physical touch between male and female (Connor, 2015) http://mobile7233.herewego43.loan/?utm_medium=NQ3aDvyuBCta fRQJPeFC66tm%2bMNW8T%2baflxP0d0AJGo%3d&t=main5
- 9. Mating Estrous lasts about 2 days occurring every 15 weeks Musth Younger males go into musth during the dry season Older males go into musth during wet season (which is when more females go into estrous) Males approach females Uses dominance to win over females and keep other males away https://www.elephantvoices.org/elephant- sense-a-sociality-4/elephants-are-long- lived.html (Connor, 2015)
- 10. Gestation Last about 20-22 months Give birth to one young Twins are very rare Newborns can stand and start drinking milk within an hour https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/animals-and- nature/mammals/mammals-and-their-young/ (Connor, 2015)
- 11. Raising Young Nurse young up to 6 and a half years Vegetation is started in youngs diet after one year of life Allosuckling can occur Where other females in the group will nurse other females young Reach sexual maturity between ages 11-14 years old Reaching sexual maturity depends on things like climate, habitat, and diet of the young (Connor, 2015) https://iso.500px.com/baby-elephant-photos/
- 12. African Elephant Males Fighting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQDhaJy14oU African male elephants fighting for dominance over other males
- 13. African Elephant Sound Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=153xbn1k2H8
- 14. Reference Williams, H. (December 12, 2013). Amazing elephant anatomy. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/amazing-elephant- anatomy-9001081.html Connor, T. (2015). Loxodonta cyclotis African Forest Elephant. Retrieved from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxodonta_cyclotis/#behavior