Chemical communication of musth in captive male asian elephants, Elephas maximus

Scott, Nancy L.; Rasmussen, L.E.L.

doi:10.1007/0-387-25160-x_16

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…We converted behavioural responses to rates (min –1 ). Further, we summed the chemosensory behaviours into one response variable; these behaviours are often correlated with each other, and this practice is consistent with other studies on zoo elephants [27,31,36–38,40,45]. Before testing for habituation and discrimination, we ensured that elephants exhibited no bias towards responding to a sample based on its location (electronic supplementary material, sections S4 and S5).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Asian elephants distinguish sexual status and identity of unfamiliar elephants using urinary odours

LaDue,

Snyder

2023

Biol. Lett.

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Despite the ubiquity of odours in mammals, few studies have documented the natural olfactory abilities of many ‘non-model’ species such as the Asian elephant. As Asian elephants are endangered, we may apply odours to more effectively manage threatened populations. We implemented a habituation–discrimination paradigm for the first time in Asian elephants to test the ability of elephants to discriminate between unfamiliar male elephant urine, hypothesizing that elephants would successfully distinguish non-musth from musth urine and also distinguish identity between two closely related individuals. We conducted two bioassay series, exposing three female and three male zoo-housed elephants to the same urine sample (non-musth urine in the first series, and urine from an unfamiliar individual in the second) over 5 days. On the sixth day, we simultaneously presented each elephant with a novel sample (either musth urine or urine from a second unfamiliar individual) alongside the habituated urine sample, comparing rates of chemosensory response to each sample to indicate discrimination. All elephants successfully discriminated non-musth from musth urine, and also urine from two unfamiliar half-brothers. Our results further demonstrate the remarkable olfactory abilities of elephants with promising implications for conservation and management.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Asian elephants distinguish sexual status and identity of unfamiliar elephants using urinary odours

LaDue,

Snyder

2023

Biol. Lett.

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“…The chemical milieu of musth changes over its duration in Asian elephants with distinct stages [31,35]. In captivity, male Asian elephants distinguish musth and nonmusth urine [36]. African elephants display not only similar behaviors but also hormonal profiles and compounds from TGS comparable to Asian elephants in musth [37].…”

Section: Background Up To Turn Of 21st Centurymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Chemical Ecology of Elephants: 21st Century Additions to Our Understanding and Future Outlooks

Schulte

LaDue

2021

Animals

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Chemical signals are the oldest and most ubiquitous means of mediating intra- and interspecific interactions. The three extant species of elephants, the Asian elephant and the two African species, savanna and forest share sociobiological patterns in which chemical signals play a vital role. Elephants emit secretions and excretions and display behaviors that reveal the importance of odors in their interactions. In this review, we begin with a brief introduction of research in elephant chemical ecology leading up to the 21st century, and then we summarize the body of work that has built upon it and occurred in the last c. 20 years. The 21st century has expanded our understanding on elephant chemical ecology, revealing their use of odors to detect potential threats and make dietary choices. Furthermore, complementary in situ and ex situ studies have allowed the careful observations of captive elephants to be extended to fieldwork involving their wild counterparts. While important advances have been made in the 21st century, further work should investigate the roles of chemical signaling in elephants and how these signals interact with other sensory modalities. All three elephant species are threatened with extinction, and we suggest that chemical ecology can be applied for targeted conservation efforts.

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“…Additionally, before a male is sexually mature (termed 'moda musth') the chemical composition of temporal gland secretions in Asian elephants is distinct from secretions in early and late adulthood , which may be correlated with agerelated serum androgen levels. These shifting chemical signals may reflect changing selective pressures operating at different stages of musth, indicating that a male's musth status is not binary (i.e., restricted to either musth or non-musth phases) (Jainudeen et al, 1972a;Poole, 1987;Scott, 2002;Ganswindt et al, 2010). However, the relevance of shifting chemical signals and selective gradients have yet to be studied in wild populations of Asian elephants, African elephants, or via other sensory modalities.…”

Section: Musth: Multimodal Signalling Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the careful research of captive elephants has revealed much about the mechanisms behind communication and reproduction that continue to inform and contextualise field studies in these species (Bechert et al, 2019;LaDue, 2019). Indeed, musth was first described in ancient times among captive elephants in Asia (Spinage, 1994), and reports of the behavioural and physiological correlates of musth in captive elephants abound in the literature (Jainudeen et al, 1972b;Hromadka, 1986;Niemuller-Hare et al, 1988;Brannian et al, 1989;Cooper et al, 1990;Lincoln & Ratnasooriya, 1996;Flora et al, 2003;Ganswindt et al, 2005a;Scott & Rasmussen, 2005;Brown et al, 2007;Hollister-Smith et al, 2008;Santiapillai et al, 2011;Duer et al, 2016;Chave et al, 2019). Musth is prevalent among captive male elephants, with significant variation in duration, frequency, and intensity (Scott & Riddle, 2003;LaDue et al, 2014).…”

Section: Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musth and sexual selection in elephants: a review of signalling properties and potential fitness consequences

LaDue

Schulte

Kiso³

et al. 2021

Behav.

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Sexual selection mediated by multimodal signals is common among polygynous species, including seasonally breeding mammals. Indirect benefit models provide plausible explanations for how and why mate selection can occur in the absence of direct benefits. Musth — an asynchronous reproductive state in male elephants — facilitates both inter- and intrasexual selection via indirect benefits, and it is further communicated through a multimodal signal. In this review, we synthesise existing evidence that supports the hypothesis that musth is a multimodal signal subject to sexual selection and that male elephants increase their direct fitness by propagating this signal while females accrue indirect benefits. Musth is characterised by a suite of physiological and behavioural changes, serving to facilitate copulation between the sexes, and via multisensory modalities musth conveys honest information about the condition of a male. Female elephants mate preferentially with musth males, increasing their own fitness in the absence of direct benefits. In addition, musth resolves dynamic dominance hierarchies among male elephants and often eliminates the need for costly physical combat. Future work in this field should investigate potential postcopulatory selection mechanisms in elephants, including sperm competition and cryptic female choice. These topics join other fundamental questions related to sexual selection, signalling, and indirect benefits that are still unanswered in elephants.

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Chemical communication of musth in captive male asian elephants, Elephas maximus

Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

Asian elephants distinguish sexual status and identity of unfamiliar elephants using urinary odours

Asian elephants distinguish sexual status and identity of unfamiliar elephants using urinary odours

The Chemical Ecology of Elephants: 21st Century Additions to Our Understanding and Future Outlooks

Musth and sexual selection in elephants: a review of signalling properties and potential fitness consequences

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