Mineralized tissues accumulate elements that play crucial roles in animal health. Although elemental content of bone, blood and teeth of human and some animal species have been characterized, data for many others are lacking, as well as species comparisons. Here we describe the distribution of elements in horn (Bovidae), antler (Cervidae), teeth and bone (humerus) across a number of species determined by handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to better understand differences and potential biological relevance. A difference in elemental profiles between horns and antlers was observed, possibly due to the outer layer of horns being comprised of keratin, whereas antlers are true bone. Species differences in tissue elemental content may be intrinsic, but also related to feeding habits that contribute to mineral accumulation, particularly for toxic heavy metals. One significant finding was a higher level of iron (Fe) in the humerus bone of elephants compared to other species. This may be an adaptation of the hematopoietic system by distributing Fe throughout the bone rather than the marrow, as elephant humerus lacks a marrow cavity. We also conducted discriminant analysis and found XRF was capable of distinguishing samples from different species, with humerus bone being the best source for species discrimination. For example, we found a 79.2% correct prediction and success rate of 80% for classification between human and non-human humerus bone. These findings show that handheld XRF can serve as an effective tool for the biological study of elemental composition in mineralized tissue samples and may have a forensic application.

The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) in marine mammals is still questionable. Here we investigated the prevalence of OA in marine (dolphin and dugong) and terrestrial mammals (Asian elephant, Asiatic buffalo, camel, cat, cattle, deer, dog, domestic goat, horse, human, hyena, impala, lion, Malayan tapir, Assam macaque, mule, pig, rabbit, red kangaroo, sheep, tiger and waterbuck). Skeletal remains obtained from five institutes were used as subjects; a total of 45 different parts (locations) of bones were observed for OA lesions. The prevalence of OA was reported as number of OA lesions/total number of bones. Our results revealed that the presence of OA in marine species (dolphin and dugong) was 2.44% and 3.33%, respectively. In dolphins, the highest OA occurrence was on the left and right humeral trochlea, with 13.68% and 12.63%, respectively, while the highest number of OA lesions in dugongs was on the lumbar vertebrae (8.79%). No significant difference (P > 0.05) in the prevalence of OA between sexes in dolphins and dugongs was observed, but we found a significant difference (P < 0.05) in 24 bone locations of human bones, which had the highest OA prevalence (48.93%), followed by dogs (3.94%). In conclusion, OA can occur in marine mammals, similar to terrestrial mammals, even though their natural habitat is the ocean.

Limited data are available regarding the nutrition and feeding of captive Asian elephants in range countries. In this study, feeding regimens of two collections in northern Thailand and their actual diets shaped by availability of forage and mahout preferences were assessed for nutritional quality. The composition of dietary intake, fecal output, and the dietary regimen were individually recorded for 5 days in 10 elephants. The proportion of forage in the diet represented 41 to 62% of the dry matter intake (DMI) in one collection whereas in the other collections it varied between 68 and 72%. Between 8.5 and 24% of the diet consisted of commercial pellets, and hulled rice represented up to 25% of the DMI in one collection. Sugar cane, corn cobs, and fruits such as bananas were eaten in smaller amounts. Body condition scores and weights were measured, which revealed that nine animals were in good condition. Representative samples of each food as well as fecal samples were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, fat, crude fiber, gross energy, ash, calcium, and phosphorus. Diet adequacy was assessed by calculating the digestible nutrients in the rations and by comparing them to the recommendations from literature. The digestible energy (DE) intake varied between 0.6 and 1.4 megajoules (MJ) per kg(0.75) per day; therefore, higher than the estimated recommendations of 0.65 MJ per kg(0.75) per day for nine of the elephants. In all elephants the crude protein intake was less than the maintenance recommendations and ranged between 6.01 and 7.56% of the DMI. Calcium intake was low in one collection and there was an inverse calcium: phosphorus ratio, which was inadequate. The present study adds to the knowledge of captive elephant diets in Asia and is a starting point for further research, which is necessary to design optimum diet plans for captive Asian elephants in Thailand.

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Species identification is essential and necessary in the forensic sciences. This case study aims to identify animal species using unidentified bone samples found in snake feces with the use of inter-simple sequence repeat markers coupled with high resolution melting analysis (ISSR-HRM). In this case study, six ISSR primers were used and compared with lemur blood. The results of this study indicate that the derivative melting curve established from two bones and the lemur blood sample displayed a similar melting temperature. Additionally, D-loop sequencing of the bones and blood samples were checked against the GenBank database. We found that the samples belonged to a black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) with percent identity values of 99.54 and 99.85, respectively. Thus, ISSR-HRM has been effectively used for species identification, particularly when results can be compared with the target species.