ASCI
how often is a female elephant fertile?
2 days out of 4 years
What was the largest recorded elephant?
24,000 lbs
What kingdom, phylum, family, and order are elephants apart of?
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Family: Elephantidae Order: Proboscidea
How much does an elephant digest of its environment?
50 tons by each elephant each year. Digest less than 1/2 of what they eat..rely on microbes to digest food
What are some names of foot issues in elephants?
lacerations, FB, contusions, abrasions, burns and maceration
What are the most significant problems found in captive elephants?
lameness like horses
What cause the extinction of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker?
Habitat destruction because of development.
IUNC
International Union for Conservation of Nature; an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic" solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges
What is laminitis? and what bedding causes laminitis in horses?
Laminitis is inflammation of the lamina; shavings from black walnut
systematics
study of the diversity of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms
NGO
Non govermental organization's are aimed at third world or developing countries with the goal of eradicating some of the problems in the country
What is the rarest butterfly in the world?
Palesverdes blue butterfly. spend a year in cocoon. 10 years thought it was extinct.
Foot of elephant
The unusual structure (prehallux) attaches to the sole of the foot just medial to the midline and appears to stabilize the tarsus over the digital cushion; The African elephant typically four toes front three back The Asian elephant usually five toes front four back
Whats the significance of elephants legs?
They are straight therefore their gait is truncated. limbs avoid excess exertion by flexing minimally. Elephants endure foot problems whether in captivity or not. Walk on tiptoes, horse middle finger
WWF
World Wildlife Fund: an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment.
whats one benefit for captivity and one issue?
benefit: monitor health and diet issue: waste
How big are elephant families and tusks?
30 strong 10.5 ft
Why is the return of blood flow difficult in elephants? What acts like a pump to move blood?
Blood flows to the limbs easily but the return is difficult to overcome gravitational forces. Compressing the digital cushion of the foot acts as a pump to move the blood.
What are clinical signs of foot infections in elephants? What helps?
Clinical signs include: lameness, bad odor, overgrowth of structures and exudate of the toenails. TRIMING and DRAINAGE are the most important things, followed by soaks in disinfectant soaks.
how much do elephant teeth weigh?
10 lbs
taxonomy
a classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure or origin etc
When an elephant is standing how much weight does each foot support?
each foot supports 3,300 lbs
What types of physical problems manifest from stress?
gastic ulcers, cardiovascular pathology, alterations in basal metabolism
Anthropomorphic
suggesting human characteristics for animals and inanimate things
what's browse? what are positive and negative consequences?
the act of feeding by continual nibbling; positive: increased activity, decrease in abnormal behavior. Negative: can be poisonous, choking
When was the Endangered Species Act passed?
1973 with over 1,000 species on the list
What is an elephants gestation period? Life Span?
22 months (longest) life span: 50-70 years
What percentage of temple elephants in India have foot disease?
50% of the populatopn
What age do teeth stop growing in elephants?
60 years old
transgene
A gene that has been extracted from the DNA of one organism and transferred into the DNA of an organism of another species.
red list
A list of worldwide threatened species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
ecosystem services
Functions performed by natural ecosystems that directly or indirectly benefit humans.
Edward O. Wilson
a champion of biodiversity, he is working on Harvard's Encyclopedia of Life, he developed the theory of island biogeography, he is an expert in the field of ants (myrmecology), and got the Pulitzer Prize twice. Expert on endangered species.
What's elephant ESP?
a communication between elephants that man cannot hear. very low pitched...below frequency we can hear...maybe infrasound it travels very well
digital cushion
a mass of fibroelastic tissue. Occupies the area under the tarsus and is plantar to the digits. Expands the foot during weight bearing which makes the elephant foot very dynamic. Cushion distributes weight over the entire sole.
What cause the Black Footed Ferret to be endangered? What saved them?
a result of decreases in prairie dog populations and the sylvatic plague. The animal is very susceptible to disease. Rigorous breeding in captivity saved them. First one was released in 1991.
Why are infections involving the digital cushion difficult to treat?
area is relatively avascular and the surrounding tissues expand over any drainage window you might be inclined to open.
Dorsal vs. Ventral Medial vs. Lateral Cranial vs. Caudal Rostral vs. Caudal Proximal vs. Distal
back:belly middle:sides head:tail nose:tail closer to body:farther from body
If we know animals can display empathy, why hasn't that info been factored into the Animal Welfare Act?
big industry wouldn't allow it
Why do elephants sway?
increase circulation in a pressure filled area
How is environmental enrichment preventative medicine?
influences physical, mental, and social wellbeing benefiting the animals overall health
What do elephant ears act like?
like a radiator of a car; vessels in the ear help radiate heat...all blood in the elephant can cool body from the ear in 20 minutes
How many Red Wolves were left on the coast of NC?
only 17 red wolves left but then became protected and tracked. Farmers shoot them.
What can infections in the toenail progress into?
osteomyelitis (infection of the bone) and this is very difficult if not impossible to heal
How many bones are found in an elephants body?
over 200 bones People have 206 and dogs have 321
Co-evolution
the process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other over time
phylogeny
the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms
What helps cool an elephant?
water and mud
What affects does DDT have on Eagles?
weakens eagle eggs
In elephants, where is heat lost from?
loss through skin...the more skin the more surface area the cooler he is
Bottleneck
A stressful period in which few organisms of a population survive, resulting in loss of genetic variation in the population.
ecological footprint
A way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth. Someone who uses more natural resources will have a bigger footprint than someone who uses less.
Whats the difference between an African Elephant and an Asian Elephant?
African elephants weigh between 4,000 and 7,000 kilograms and are between 3 and 4 meters tall. Asian elephants weigh between 3,000 and 6,000 kilograms and are between 2 and 3.5 meters tall.Observe the skin of these two types of elephants. The skin of the African elephant is darker in color than the skin of the Asian elephant, and it's more wrinkled as well. Asian elephants have smoother skin. back of the African elephant is concave, and the back of the Asian elephant is convex. African elephants have a sloped head, Asian elephants have a rounded head.The African elephant has larger ears. Both male and female African elephants have tusks.Just male Asian Elephant has tusks. The African elephant has two "fingers" on the end of its trunk, and the Asian elephant has only one. African 550,000 pop. Asian 60,000 pop.
Difference between Anatomy and physiology
Anatomy=structure Physiology=how internal organs come together & work
Between African and Asian Elephants, who has a greater chance of developing foot problems?
Asian elephants for unknown reasons
Where is the Golden trout and what killed them off?
High Sierra. Introduction of other species of trout killed off the Golden Trout. Fishermen fault. Now about the be taken off the endangered species list.
What does manzanita mean? Talk about it
Living dead. Evergreen tree of the Pacific coast of North America having glossy leathery leaves and orange-red edible berries. Only one left and location is a secret
Why do Manatees keep getting hurt by boats?
Manatees are reactive to high frequency noise. Boats make low frequency noises.
What is the Treaty of Lisbon?
Protects the welfare required for animals while respecting the legislative provisions and customs: animals are separate beings; animal welfare act
Where does a baby elephant get microbes from?
Since baby elephants arent born with microbes they get them from their mothers dung
What are benefits of bedding for primates?
Sleep in bedding, forage, make their own nest, prevents physiological problems, decreases social aggression
The Nature Conservancy
This is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Has protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. It also operates more than 100 marine conservation projects globally.
Chromosome
Threadlike structure within the nucleus containing the genetic information that is passed from one generation of cells to the next
What are the 3 species of elephant?
Three species of living elephants: African bush elephant, African forest elephant, Asian (or Indian) elephant
Talk about elephant pox
Vessicles on trunk and feet, can be very serious. Last known outbreak in 2001, can be transmitted by rats from cows...has zoonotic potential.
What is must?
When male elephants are dripping from everywhere (steaming temper glands) a lot of testosterone
extremeophile
a microorganism that lives in an extreme environment. Extremeophiles are further classified as methanogens, extreme halophiles, or extreme thermophiles