Hormone receptor expression in interdigital glands of the Asian elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>)

Lamps, Laura W.; Smoller, Bruce R.; Goodwin, Thomas E.; Rasmussen, L.E.L.

doi:10.1002/zoo.20002

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The VNO develops in the womb and appears fully functional in newborns, supporting the observation of flehmen-like behaviors in young calf elephants [62,63]. Two decades ago, interdigital glands were identified in Asian elephants that are akin to human eccrine glands [64,65]. We still do not understand the function of these glands and if they contribute to chemical signaling by elephants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

The Chemical Ecology of Elephants: 21st Century Additions to Our Understanding and Future Outlooks

Schulte

LaDue

2021

Animals

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Chemical signals are the oldest and most ubiquitous means of mediating intra- and interspecific interactions. The three extant species of elephants, the Asian elephant and the two African species, savanna and forest share sociobiological patterns in which chemical signals play a vital role. Elephants emit secretions and excretions and display behaviors that reveal the importance of odors in their interactions. In this review, we begin with a brief introduction of research in elephant chemical ecology leading up to the 21st century, and then we summarize the body of work that has built upon it and occurred in the last c. 20 years. The 21st century has expanded our understanding on elephant chemical ecology, revealing their use of odors to detect potential threats and make dietary choices. Furthermore, complementary in situ and ex situ studies have allowed the careful observations of captive elephants to be extended to fieldwork involving their wild counterparts. While important advances have been made in the 21st century, further work should investigate the roles of chemical signaling in elephants and how these signals interact with other sensory modalities. All three elephant species are threatened with extinction, and we suggest that chemical ecology can be applied for targeted conservation efforts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

The Chemical Ecology of Elephants: 21st Century Additions to Our Understanding and Future Outlooks

Schulte

LaDue

2021

Animals

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“…They have cutaneous glands around the temple and inter-digital glands that produce steroids as well as other secretions and have been found to secrete pheromones related to sexual status. Olfactory research has concentrated on sexual pheromones [45,[47][48][49][50], but elephants have sweat glands well distributed over the body [51,52], which may produce individual smells. The multi-sensory trunk acts as a hand, a nose and a mouth thus multi-sensory information is inevitably acquired.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication in a Small Herd of Semi-Domestic Elephants another Interpretation of their Social Organization, Social Contract and World View

Kiley-Worthington¹

2019

ARVS

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The communication between 6 individually identified free ranging young elephants were observed for over 200 hours (1278 elephant hours) in a nature reserve in Zimbabwe. 97 different behaviours, some explicit (whose meaning is clear) and some implicit (whose meaning is hidden), were recorded. Visual signals were the most common. The meaning of the 22 most common behaviours was assessed from recipient responses. Two surprising results were that (i) many behaviours were ignored by the recipients, and (ii) reciprocity was common. Correlations between the rank orders in the 4 different behavioural categories (aggression, affiliation, avoidance and interest) did not indicate an overall "dominance order". Rather it indicated that behaviour encouraging group cohesion (showing interest and affiliation) was much more common than any related to competition in the group (that is aggression, avoiding and withdrawing). It is argued that the large number of implicit behaviours which indicate slight arousal also indicate "uncertainty". Many behaviours 'meanings were context dependent (i.e. the same behaviour used in a variety of contexts with its particular meaning only assessable from the context). To interpret the meaning of messages in this way, elephants must be aware of others intentions and desires, as well as others' knowledge and roles in the society. The implication of these results for a different understanding of elephant's social organization and mental aptitudes are discussed.

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Chemical, Tactile, and Taste Sensory Systems

Rasmussen¹

2006

Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants

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Hormone receptor expression in interdigital glands of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

The Chemical Ecology of Elephants: 21st Century Additions to Our Understanding and Future Outlooks

The Chemical Ecology of Elephants: 21st Century Additions to Our Understanding and Future Outlooks

Communication in a Small Herd of Semi-Domestic Elephants another Interpretation of their Social Organization, Social Contract and World View

Chemical, Tactile, and Taste Sensory Systems

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