Introduction to Elephants

How long is the average gestation period for African elephants?

20-22 months

How long do elephants nurse their calves?

3 - 5 years

What is infrasound and how does it relate to elephants?

Infrasound is a low frequency sound below the audibility range of the human ear. Recent research indicates that elephants use infrasound to communicate over long distances. The calls may be used to coordinate the movement of herds and allow mating elephants to find each other. Infrasound also travels seismically (through the ground), so elephants may feel the vibrations.

Why do elephants mud wallow?

Mud wallowing provides skin protection from the sun and biting insects as well as cooling the elephant as the mud dries.

Define poaching. Give two reasons why animals are poached.

Poaching is: Two Reasons:

What characteristic of sexual dimorphism is most obvious in adult elephants?

The male is much larger than the female, particularly in the African elephant (males weigh up to twice as much as females).

Describe the elephant's trunk and three of its uses.

Trunk description: The trunk is a strong, flexible extension of the nose and upper lip that contains up to 150,000 muscle bundles (fascicles), many nerves and no bone nor cartilage. Three (3) Uses: breathing; smelling; food gathering; sucking up water for drinking/bathing; tactile communication; social interaction; fighting; disciplining; sound production, lifting/carrying objects, dust baths, etc.

What are two primary reasons for the dramatic decline in the number of African Elephants?

a. Poaching for ivory b. Habitat loss

What are elephant tusks and what are three ways elephants use them?

Tusk Description: Modified, elongated upper incisors (teeth), continuously growing longer outside the mouth. (Additional info: grow up to 7"/year, growth rate is variable; 1/3 of tusk is fastened to a socket inside the skull.) Three (3) Uses: Used for prying, digging, prodding, breaking branches, strip bark, defense/weapon, dig up dust for bathing, dig up watering holes, social interaction, assisting babies to stand, etc.

What is the type of social hierarchy in which females are dominant? Give two animal examples that we have at the zoo.

Type: Matriarchal Zoo Animal Examples (2): Elephant, spotted hyena, ring-tailed lemur, blue-eyed lemur, coati, ants, bison, meerkat (to lesser extent)

Which of the following elephant adaptations help support and/or reduce their tremendous weight? a. Graviportal legs b. Shock absorbing cushioned feet c. Thick, wrinkled skin d. Large ears e. Porous, honeycombed skull f. Massive muscle mass and short neck to support weight of tusks and trunk g. All of the above

a, b, e, f

Describe two methods of elephant management.

a. In Free contact, the handler must use physical punishment to be dominant over the elephant. b. In Protected contact, positive reinforcement (or operant conditioning) rewards the elephant for voluntary participation in training and shifting (often desirable food treats), and there is always a barrier between the elephant and keeper. The elephants are never physically disciplined.

Define musth

A period of increased testosterone levels in bull elephants characterized by increased sperm production, aggression & persistence, and decreased appetite & self-preservation. Also Acceptable: Other physical and behavioral markers include thick, dark temporal gland secretion, urine dribbling, aggressive posture (head high, ears bent/folded), musth behavior (trunk roll, ear flap). Male is very driven to find estrous females.

Give three differences between African and Asian elephants.

African Asian a. Large fan-shaped ears Small, triangular ears b. Sloping forehead Double-domed forehead c. Both sexes have long tusks Only males have long tusks Also acceptable: Concave back Convex (rounded) back Trunk has 2 prehensile protrusions "fingers" Trunk has 1 prehensile protrusion "finger" Largest living land mammal Smaller overall than African Skin is folded and blackish Skin grayish with de-pigmented spots Tallest point is the shoulder Tallest point is the back

Describe elephant molars. Include the number of molars and the unusual pattern of development.

Each molar consists of vertically bonded plates that wear down and drop out. They move from the rear of the mouth to the front with the nest molar pushing the existing molar forward. An elephant will have six sets of molars with four molars per set (two on top and two on bottom) in its lifetime. (Additional info: First 3 sets are premolars, last 3 sets are molars.)

What are three ways the social structure of our elephant herd differs from a wild elephant herd?

Oakland Zoo herd vs. Wild Herd a. Non-related females, no offspring Related females with offspring b. Dominant female isn't oldest female Oldest, largest female is dominant/matriarch (usually) c. One lone young male Young males live in bachelor herds Also acceptable: Small # individuals vs. larger # individuals

Which method of elephant management does the Oakland Zoo practice and why?

The Oakland Zoo practices protected contact because it is safer for the keeper as a barrier is always in place, and more respectful of the elephant. Bonus: Due to operant conditioning/training, it has become a form of enrichment as it stimulates the animal mentally. It has also proven an effective method of providing some medical care, allowing the vet and keeper staff to administer medications, vaccinations, etc. in less traumatic and dangerous ways, reducing the need for heavy anesthesia.

Briefly describe the basic social structure of elephants; include both female & male groupings.

The family unit is comprised of related adult females and their juvenile offspring; Bonus: number 2-24 individuals (on average); typically the oldest & largest female is dominant/matriarch because she has the most experience and usually has the best body condition; older sisters & aunts help take care of calves. If food supply is not abundant enough to support the family unit, the herd will split along closely-related family lines. Bond Groups are comprised of smaller family units that know each other and occasionally gather together to feed, at watering holes, etc. Females typically stay with their family group their entire lives. Between 8 years old to early teens, males will begin to leave (or are driven out) of the family unit for increasingly longer periods of time. Males eventually join bachelor groups made up of all adult males. Bonus: this is a loose social group that is constantly in flux depending on which males are in musth. The bachelor groups allow males to have close friendships, hierarchy, communicate, test each other's strength through sparring, tearing up trees/bushes, learn each other's personalities - all important things to know about an individual before he comes into musth. Musth males temporarily leave the bachelor group to find estrous females