First Advisor

Richard Forbes

Term of Graduation

Winter 1999

Date of Publication

2-8-1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Biology

Department

Biology

Language

English

Subjects

Asiatic elephant -- Behavior, Pheromones, Asiatic elephant -- Reproduction

Physical Description

1 online resource (2, iv, 66 pages)

Abstract

Elephants use several well-developed sensory systems for communicating within and between social groups. Female elephants sniff, touch and flehmen to the urine and genitals of herdmembers. In addition, communication through social behaviors is prevalent. Female elephants frequently communicate through affiliate tactile and aggressive behaviors. Furthermore, although female elephants are not known to display behavioral signs of estrus, these females exhibit a tail slapping behavior that may be an implement for dispersing chemical signals to conspecifics or nearby male elephants.

The present study addresses two areas of research. The purpose of part one was first, to determine if female Asian elephants can distinguish between follicular and luteal phase urine samples through chemosensory (trunk) behaviors and second, to determine if reproductive state of the responding female elephant affected her responses to the urine samples. Part two examined 3 types of social behaviors ( 1) affiliative (2) aggressive and (3) tail slapping behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine if these social behaviors changed with the reproductive states of the female elephants.

Chemosensory responses to placed urine samples by five female Asian elephants ( 4 regularly cycling and 1 in lactational anestrus) were monitored weekly over the 16-week estrous cycle. Social behavior observations were made on a per week basis over the period of two consecutive estrous cycles.

All five elephants exhibited a significantly higher response to the follicular urine samples than to the luteal urine samples using Wilcoxon signed rank analysis (WSR) (all p< .05). Each displayed the greatest responses to the follicular urine samples when in the estrous reproductive state. Repeated measures ANOVA main effects of urine type (follicular and luteal) and reproductive state (estrous and nonestrous) were significant (both p< . 01 ). Interaction of reproductive state and urine type was also significant (p< . 01 ). Of the social behaviors genital checks and tail slapping occurred with higher frequency when the females were in the estrous phase of her reproductive cycle (WSR, each p< .05). Aggressive behavior by the two dominant female elephants occurred in highest frequency when they were in the estrous phase of their reproductive state (WSR, each p< .05). 2

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44686

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