African Elephant Sesquiterpenes

Goodwin, Thomas E.; Rasmussen, Elizabeth L.; Guinn, Ashley C.; McKelvey, Samantha S.; Gunawardena, Rohith; Riddle, Scott W.; Riddle, Heidi S.

doi:10.1021/np990191n

Cited by 26 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In addition, our understanding of elephant chemical and tactile communication has been expanded greatly by studies on captive elephants [Rasmussen, 1998;Rasmussen and Schulte, 1998;Schulte and Rasmussen, 1999b]. New discoveries on the chemical composition of temporal gland secretion and breath during musth and non-musth states have been elucidated [Rasmussen et al, 1982;1990;1997a,b;Goodwin et al, 1999;Rasmussen and Perrin, 1999;Schulte and Rasmussen, 1999a]. The chemical foundation of Asian male interest in female urine was found to be an estrous pheromone, (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social structure and helping behavior in captive elephants

Schulte

2000

Zoo Biol.

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Selective pressures on individual behavior serve to mold social structure and subsequent levels of cooperation in social species, including elephants. Adult Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants have complex social societies that differ markedly between the sexes. Elephant social structure and cooperative behavior may have evolved in part to prepare young elephants to meet the challenges of an expansive environment, predators and parasites. In captivity, such forces are relaxed or eliminated, yet captive elephants display a similar repertoire of behaviors as their wild counterparts. Elephants live in herds of related adult females from several generations. This female social unit is centered on calves and the matriarch. Adult males reside in bachelor herds, singly, or frequent female groups, depending on male age and reproductive condition. In captivity, female elephants are usually housed together, although group size is smaller than in the wild, whereas adult males are generally housed separately from other elephants. Beyond these general similarities between wild and captive settings, captive elephants are housed in a wider range of group sizes, degrees of relatedness, and age structures than would be typical in the wild. This variation in social structure can be used to explore questions about cooperative behavior. Following a comparison of wild and captive social structures for elephants, three such potential avenues for study are discussed. Specifically, research with captive elephants could shed light on the development of social behavior, the functional significance of allomothering, and the ability of elephants to recognize kin or social group members. Beside the potential theoretical implications and insight into wild elephant behavior, the examination of social behavior also has important ramifications for the management of animals in captivity. Zoo Biol 19:447–459, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social structure and helping behavior in captive elephants

Schulte

2000

Zoo Biol.

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“…Our research during the past decade has focused on identifying odoriferous compounds contained in various elephant emissions that elicit biological responses from conspecifics. We have extensively examined urine, temporal gland secretions, and breath [Rasmussen et al, , 1986[Rasmussen et al, , 1996a[Rasmussen et al, ,b, 1997aRasmussen, 1988Rasmussen, , 1995Rasmussen, , 1998Rasmussen, , 1999Rasmussen and Schulte, 1998;Goodwin et al, 1999], and we are examining inter-digital glands, ear liquids, and others emissions [Riddle et al, 2000].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How chemical signals integrate Asian elephant society: The known and the unknown

Rasmussen

Krishnamurthy

2000

Zoo Biol.

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The importance of chemical senses to elephants was recognized in anecdotal observations by ancient humans. Modern scientific tools, such as molecular biological techniques, highly sensitive gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric instrumentation, and statistically valid ethological methods, have allowed the study of real events of chemical communication between elephants. Such communication encompasses long‐ and short‐range navigation, relationship recognition, and inter‐ and intra‐sexual exchange of reproductive condition, metabolic state, and social status. Asian elephants emit large amounts of complex chemical mixtures in breath and urine, and in secretions from the temporal gland, inter‐digital glands, and ears. Some emitted chemicals originate in blood and may be metabolic products; others are secretory products, at times apparently under hormonal control. The wide variety of emitted compounds includes hormones, proteins, and volatile compounds; selected volatile ketones and an acetate ((Z)‐7‐dodecenyl acetate) function as chemical signals and a pheromone, respectively. Some of these specific chemicals identified in emissions from Asian elephants dwelling in the United States have been found to be present in exudates from elephants in India. This similarity is demonstrable for three metabolic conditions: pregnancy in females and pre‐ and post‐musth in males. Future chemical communication studies on male elephants should focus on musth and its relevance to reproduction and male social structures. Such investigations should include hormones, metabolites, brain chemistry, and possible primer pheromones. For females, the factors influencing possible estrous synchrony, what role primer pheromones play in female reproduction, how chemical signals influence social behavior, and whether luteinizing hormone influences pheromone production are among remaining fundamental questions. Zoo Biol 19:405–423, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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“…The composition of the exudates is dominated by increased acetone and other ketones indicative of lipid metabolic alterations. These include, for example, farnesol-related sesquiterpenes as frequently occurring secondary metabolites and aroma compounds in the African elephant (Goodwin et al 1999(Goodwin et al , 2002. Additionally, large quantities of nonmethane hydrocarbons, especially 2-butanone, are released from the seemingly dry orifice of the temporal gland before the beginning of overt musth and before maximum blood elevations are observed (Rasmussen and Perrin 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Demonstration of lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides in the temporal gland of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Meyer¹

2007

Mammalian Biology

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African Elephant Sesquiterpenes

Cited by 26 publications

References 22 publications

Social structure and helping behavior in captive elephants

Social structure and helping behavior in captive elephants

How chemical signals integrate Asian elephant society: The known and the unknown

Demonstration of lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides in the temporal gland of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana)

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