Ambient temperature as a determinant of landscape use in the savanna elephant, Loxodonta africana

Abstract

Elephants occur in landscapes where temperatures can reach 50 °C. Due to their large size they may face physiological problems of dissipating heat during such high temperatures. In spite of this, no one seems to have considered ambient temperature as limiting landscape choices in elephants. We recorded hourly landscape use in freeranging elephants using GPS collars. We also placed temperature data loggers in each of the landscapes, to obtain corresponding ambient temperatures for each hour. Our results suggest that elephants may select landscapes based on the rate at which temperatures changed and also for shade. We suggest that these selected variables provide a thermal benefit to individuals. As such, we propose that landscape use in elephants may be constrained by their thermal physiological requirements as well as other resources such as food and water.

Prevalence and Severity of Current Human-Elephant Conflicts in Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya: Insights from the Field and Key Informants

“…The combination of poaching, retaliatory killing, shrinking of dispersal space together present threaten a thriving viable elephant population in the area. Increasing temperature due to climate change will increase infant elephant morality, heat strokes in elephants; massive death is frequent droughts, vulnerable to diseases and pathogens that will compromise their health and body condition [34].…”

“…This is a zero sum effect that complicates all planning and strategies of humanity whether in economic planning, conservation strategies, social mapping and forecasting of people's needs, prediction of risk and emergency areas in nations of global scene. With a generally reported increase by one degree globally, animal habitats are likely to be drier and hotter [34]. Species response is likely to increase their range as they search for phonologically changing forage and prey base, as well as changes in abundance and availability of critical resources.…”

Heat storage in Asian elephants during submaximal exercise: behavioral regulation of thermoregulatory constraints on activity in endothermic gigantotherms

“…It is not surprising that some elephants in tropical environments behaviorally select nocturnal activity (Elder and Rodgers, 1975;Guy, 1976;Douglas-Hamilton et al, 2005;Kinahan et al, 2007;Graham et al, 2009;Joshi, 2009). Although other factors, such as minimizing human contact, also favor nocturnal activity (Douglas-Hamilton et al, 2005;Graham et al, 2009), avoidance of high radiant heat loads (Kinahan et al, 2007) is likely a major consideration favoring nocturnal activity. Our results indicated that in full sun, at an ambient air temperature of 31.4±1.7°C, greater than 100% of M ex -E b was stored in core tissues as a result of solar heating of skin (Fig2, Fig.3A, Fig.5).…”

“…Indeed, studies of both wild and domesticated elephants have found that activity can result in a rapid increase in core temperature, ranging from 0.5 to 6.0°C (Baldwin, 1974;Toscano et al, 2001). However, by concentrating activity at night, when radiant environmental heat is at a minimum (Elder and Rodgers, 1975;Guy, 1976;Douglas-Hamilton et al, 2005;Kinahan et al, 2007;Graham et al, 2009;Joshi, 2009), elephants may behaviorally reduce the amount of metabolic and environmental heat stored in tissues and facilitate activity without risk of a lethal increase in core body temperature.…”

Giants on the landscape: modelling the abundance of megaherbivorous dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation (Late Jurassic, western USA)

“…The heat (and perhaps dryness) of the Morrison environment may have had a depressing impact on dinosaurian metabolism (and may also have affected their diel patterns of activity and habitat utilisation [as with modern desert elephants: Kinahan et al 2007;Leggett 2009]). …”