Term of Award
Summer 2004
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Biology
Committee Chair
Bruce A. Schulte
Committee Member 1
Alan Harvey
Committee Member 2
Stephen P. Vives
Abstract
Chemosignals play a vital role in the social and reproductive interactions of elephants. As with many social, sexually dimorphic mammals, elephants experience major developmental stages of nursing, weaning, pubescence and adulthood. Some stages occur at different ages for males and females. I observed the trunk tip, chemosensory behaviors of male and female African elephants in each of the four major developmental stages at Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa. Young female elephants showed the highest rates of chemosensory behavior among females; whereas, pubescent and adult males showed the highest rates among males. The sexes differed in the prevalence of chemosensory behaviors. I also performed bioassays of female urinary compounds with(2) captive elephants at Riddle's Elephant Sanctuary and wild elephants to isolate the estrous pheromone released by female African elephants. The five compounds used did not elicit high responses from conspecific males, but responses were similar by wild and captive elephants.
Recommended Citation
Loizi, Helen, "Development of Chemosensory Behaviors in African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana) and Male Responses to Female Urinary Compounds" (2004). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 729.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/729
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
