Estrous state influences on investigative, aggressive, and tail flicking behavior in captive female Asian elephants

Slade-Cain, Barbara E.; Rasmussen, L.E.L.; Schulte, Bruce A.

doi:10.1002/zoo.20181

Cited by 24 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Further, we found that the frequencies of U-type lip and genital touches were positively correlated with the proximity index, whereas the frequency of S-type lip touches was not, which may suggest that the U-type lip and genital touches are affiliative. This supports previous studies on captive Asian elephants that used trunk tip touches as indicators of affiliative or investigative behaviours (Garaï 1992;Slade-Cain et al 2008;Makecha et al 2012). Similarly, in African elephants, studies have described mouth and genital touches as types of greeting behaviours (Moss 1988;Moss et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…We found that the pairs that included neonates used U-type genital touches more frequently than the pairs without neonates did. Previous studies on genital touches in Asian elephants have mainly focused on reproductive behaviour (Meyer et al 2008;Slade-Cain et al 2008). However, our results suggest that U-type genital touches may have an additional function unrelated to reproductive behaviour.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social significance of trunk use in captive Asian elephants

Yasui

Idani

2016

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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Tactile behaviour plays an important role in maintaining social relationships in several mammalian species. Touching with the tip of the trunk is a common social behaviour among Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). This is considered an affiliative behaviour; however, few studies have investigated it in detail. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether this is an affiliative behaviour and whether it has other functions. We directly observed a group of captive female Asian elephants in Thailand. We found that the elephants usually touched each other with their trunks shaped in a U (U-type) or S (S-type) shape. The S-type shape was observed mainly when the elephants touched the lips of other elephants; however, this behaviour was occasionally observed in agonistic or play contexts, where it appeared to be a threat or dominant behaviour, particularly amongst adults. In contrast, the U-type shape was more frequently observed when the elephants were disturbed, where it appeared as a gesture for reassurance. We found that the U-type touch on the genitals may be used for interacting with neonates. Therefore, we suggest that despite the S-type touch having a tactile component, it may be a rare behaviour in Asian elephants that is similar to visual threat displays in other mammals. However, the U-type touch is similar to social grooming behaviour in primates or flipper rubbing in dolphins, and can be used as an indicator of affiliative relationships. Asian elephants change the shape of their trunk while touching others depending on their motivation and the situation, thereby demonstrating that the nuances of trunk use can assist in understanding the social relationships between individuals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social significance of trunk use in captive Asian elephants

Yasui

Idani

2016

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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“…Previous research has found different personality traits among the elephants in this study, in regards to interactions with their physical world (Highfill, Fad, Makecha, & Kuczaj, 2013;Yasui et al, 2013). Furthermore, estrous state may affect enrichment use, as estrous state has been shown to influence aggression and investigative behavior (Slade-Cain, Rasmussen, Schulte, 2008). No data is available on the estrous state of the elephants during the current study.…”

Section: Enrichment Usementioning

confidence: 64%

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Lukacs¹,

Poulin²,

Besenthal³

et al. 2016

AB&C

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-The diurnal and nocturnal activity time budgets of five adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)were studied in a zoological park for two 24-hour, five 14-hour, and one 9-hour observation periods between May and June 2011. Relatively few studies have looked at detailed daytime and nighttime activity time budgets in captive Asian elephants. Continuous observation was used to measure the activity time budgets of at least one focal animal per observation period. The activity time budgets varied between animals and observation periods. The elephants spent 17-49% of the day (daylight hours) standing, 1-9% of the day walking, 19-44% of the day eating, and 1-20% of the day using enrichment items. At night, the elephants spent 29-87% of the observation period standing, 1-19% of the night eating, and 0.1-10% of the night using enrichment items. At night, elephants spent 0-45% of the observation period lying down. Variations in activity time budgets between elephants and observation periods have been observed in other studies of captive and wild elephants. Results of this observational study allow comparison between groups of captive elephants and between captive and wild elephants. Furthermore, results of this study can inform management strategies.

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“…Another study of ex situ female African elephants at a single facility showed that dominant females initiated significantly more ''trunk to mouth'' behaviors toward subordinate elephants when the receiving animal was close to ovulation [Leong et al, 2005]. Females in the follicular phase of estrus and particularly those approaching ovulation are likely to release chemical signals, pheromones, from orifices such as the temporal gland, anus and genitals, and receive more trunk touches from conspecifics [Meyer et al, 2008;Slade-Cain et al, 2008]. Because both cycling and noncycling females were observed, behavioral observations in cycling females were not normalized to estrus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Investigating the impact of rank and ovarian activity on the social behavior of captive female African elephants

2010

Self Cite

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Over a third of captive female African elephants in North America fail to exhibit normal estrous cycles based on long‐term serum progestagen analyses. Why acyclicity occurs is unknown; however, the majority of noncycling females are ranked by keepers as the dominant individual within the group. To investigate the relationship between ovarian cyclicity status and keeper‐determined social rank, observations were conducted on 33 female African elephants (18 cycling, 15 noncycling). Based on keeper evaluations, five cycling elephants were ranked dominant, seven in the middle and six as subordinate. In contrast, 10 noncycling elephants were ranked as dominate and five as subordinate with none ranked as middle. When comparing the behavior of the elephants by their keeper‐determined rank, the dominant females dominant were significantly more likely to approach, displace and push. Similarly, keeper‐determined subordinate females more frequently presented their hind end and held their ears erect. Behaviors initiated by one elephant toward another did not vary between cycling and noncycling females, except when the interaction with social rank was tested. Dominant, noncycling females initiated a higher percentage of “approach” and “displace” behaviors than both cycling and noncycling, subordinate elephants. Subordinate, noncycling elephants displayed the highest percentage of “ears erect.” Social rank drives the interactions of ex situ female African elephants more than ovarian cyclicity status. Thus, behavioral interactions cannot be used to predict which cycling elephants are most likely to become acyclic. Zoo Biol 29:154–167, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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Estrous state influences on investigative, aggressive, and tail flicking behavior in captive female Asian elephants

Cited by 24 publications

References 43 publications

Social significance of trunk use in captive Asian elephants

Social significance of trunk use in captive Asian elephants

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Investigating the impact of rank and ovarian activity on the social behavior of captive female African elephants

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