Relationship Between Body Temperature and Ovarian Cycle in Asian and African Elephants

Abstract

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether changes in body temperature are related to the ovarian cycle in elephants. Rectal, tongue or fecal temperature was measured for 2 Asian and 5 African elephants using an electric thermometer. Evaluation of ovarian cycles was based on the changes in serum or fecal progestin. The mean ± SD values of the rectal, tongue, and fecal temperatures were 36.3 ± 0.3 (2 Asian), 36.2 ± 0.5 (1 African) and 36.5 ± 0.3 C (4 African), respectively; the fecal temperature was the highest of the 3 temperatures (P<0.01). The longitudinal changes in body temperatures correlated with the ovarian cycle, with higher temperatures occurring during the luteal phase. The fecal temperatures of one acyclic African elephant did not change cyclically. These results suggest that measurement of body temperature can be used to easily evaluate the ovarian cyclicity of an individual animal, although it might not be able to determine the ovarian cycle length. Key words: Fecal temperature, Ovarian cycle, Progesterone, Rectal temperature, Tongue temperature (J. Reprod. Dev. 53: [1099][1100][1101][1102][1103][1104][1105] 2007) he body temperature and thermoregulatory behavior of the elephant have been studied for many years [1,2]. The methods used to measure the body temperatures of elephants include insertion of a clinical thermometer into the rectum (rectum temperature), insertion of a clinical thermometer into feces immediately after defecation (fecal temperature) and direct measurement of the temperature of urine midstream during urination (urinary temperature) [1,3]. It has been believed that measurement of the urine temperature is suitable for body temperature measurement because a large amount of urine is stored deep within the elephant's body [1]. However, measurement of the fecal temperature is a simple and safe method for large mammals such as the elephant [3]. It has been reported that the fecal temperature well reflects an elephant's rectal temperature and that the values are very similar [1]. The normal range of the rectal temperature of Asian (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana) is 36 to 37 C [4,5], and a fever of 38 C is considered significant [5].In female humans and chimpanzees (Pan troglo-

Ovarian cycle approach by rectal temperature and fecal progesterone in a female killer whale, Orcinus orca

“…However, changes in temperature during the estrous cycle in killer whales were not examined in the earlier study. Increasing body temperature corresponded to the luteal phase during the estrous cycle in the killer whale used in our study, which is similar to what has been reported in female belugas [Katsumata et al, 2006b] and terrestrial mammals, such as the Asian and African elephants [Kusuda et al, 2007c]. In female belugas, it has been reported that changes in body temperature are positively correlated with serum progesterone concentrations during the estrous cycle [Katsumata et al, 2006b] and, in elephants with normal estrous cycles, the body temperature is higher during the luteal stage [Kusuda et al, 2007c].…”

“…Increasing body temperature corresponded to the luteal phase during the estrous cycle in the killer whale used in our study, which is similar to what has been reported in female belugas [Katsumata et al, 2006b] and terrestrial mammals, such as the Asian and African elephants [Kusuda et al, 2007c]. In female belugas, it has been reported that changes in body temperature are positively correlated with serum progesterone concentrations during the estrous cycle [Katsumata et al, 2006b] and, in elephants with normal estrous cycles, the body temperature is higher during the luteal stage [Kusuda et al, 2007c]. In women [Mashima, 1986] and female chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ) [Graham et al, 1977], BBT nadir during menstrual cycle has been well known to be a reliable indicator of the ovulation timing, and the BBT shifts from low‐temperature phase to high‐temperature phase upon ovulation.…”

“…Basal body temperature (BBT) in women is well known to change with the ovulatory cycle [Owen, 1975]. It has been also reported that body temperature changes with the estrous cycle in female terrestrial mammals, such as cattle [Wrenn et al, 1958] and elephants [Kusuda et al, 2007c]. In cetaceans, the thermoregulation mechanism is relatively well known from the biological viewpoint and as cooling system for the intra‐abdominal testis [Kasting et al, 1989; Rommel et al, 1998; Whittow, 1987], and rectal temperature measurements are usually performed for a health check in captivity.…”