True Facts: Elephants

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Thank you:
Dr Andrew Schulz, Max Planck Institute
Dr Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, Harvard Univ
Dr Joshua Plotnik, CUNY
Caitlin Hawley, Arizona State Univ
Dr Julio de Castro
Dr David L. Hu, Georgia Tech
Dr Jianing Wu, Georgia Tech

Bernard Dupont, https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/
Michael Rose, https://www.instagram.com/michaelrose17/
Tiffany Lo, https://www.instagram.com/tlotravels/
Destination Uganda, https://www.youtube.com/@bekuthman2
Mason Elephant Park & Lodge, masonelephantlodge.com
Wildest Kruger Sightings, https://www.youtube.com/@WildestKrugerSightings

Citations

Dale, R., Plotnik, J. Elephants know when their bodies are obstacles to success in a novel transfer task. Sci Rep 7, 46309 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep46309

Deiringer, N et al. The functional anatomy of elephant trunk whiskers. Commun Biol. 2023 Jun 8;6(1):591. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04945-5.

Foerder P, et al. Insightful problem solving in an Asian elephant. PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e23251. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023251.

Hoerner F, et al. Long-Term Olfactory Memory in African Elephants. Animals (Basel). 2023 Feb 15;13(4):679. doi: 10.3390/ani13040679

Kaufmann, L.V., et al. Elephant Banana Peeling. Current Biology, 33, R239–R258, April 10, 2023.

Lefebvre J, et al. Monitoring Thermoregulation Patterns in Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in Winter Months in Southwestern Ontario Using Infrared Thermography. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens. 2023; 4(2):312-324. https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg4020026

Li LL, Plotnik JM, Xia SW, Meaux E, Quan RC. Cooperating elephants mitigate competition until the stakes get too high. PLoS Biol. 2021 Sep 28;19(9):e3001391. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001391

Plotnik JM, et al. Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Mar 22;108(12):5116-21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1101765108.

Plotnik JM, et al. Self-recognition in an Asian elephant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Nov 7;103(45):17053-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0608062103.

Martins AF, et al. Locally-curved geometry generates bending cracks in the African elephant skin. Nat Commun. 2018 Oct 2;9(1):3865. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-06257-3. 

Myhrvold CL, et al. (2012) What Is the Use of Elephant Hair? PLoS ONE 7(10): e47018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0047018

O’Connell-Rodwell CE. Keeping an “ear” to the ground: seismic communication in elephants. Physiology (Bethesda). 2007 Aug;22:287-94. doi: 10.1152/physiol.00008.2007.

O’Connell-Rodwell CE, et al. Male African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Behavioral Responses to Estrous Call Playbacks May Inform Conservation Management Tools. Animals (Basel). 2022 May 1;12(9):1162. doi: 10.3390/ani12091162.

Phasukdee, N., et al. Comparative Anatomy and Histology of Elephant, Human, and Tree Shrew Brains. BSCM, Vol. 61 No. 4 (2022): October-December. DOI: 10.12982/BSCM.2022.24

Schulz AK, Boyle M, Boyle C, Sordilla S, Rincon C, Hooper S, Aubuchon C, Reidenberg JS, Higgins C, Hu DL. Skin wrinkles and folds enable asymmetric stretch in the elephant trunk. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Aug 2;119(31):e2122563119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2122563119.

Schulz Andrew K., Ning Wu Jia, Ha Sung Yeon Sara, Kim Greena, Braccini Slade Stephanie, Rivera Sam, Reidenberg Joy S. and Hu David L. 2021Suction feeding by elephantsJ. R. Soc. Interface.182021021520210215, http://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2021.0215

Schulz AK, Reidenberg JS, Ning Wu J, Ying Tang C, Seleb B, Mancebo J, Elgart N, Hu DL. Elephant trunks use an adaptable prehensile grip. Bioinspir Biomim. 2023 Feb 8;18(2). doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/acb477.

Stoeger AS, Baotic A. Operant control and call usage learning in African elephants. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2021 Oct 25;376(1836):20200254. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0254.

Stoeger AS, et al. An Asian elephant imitates human speech. Curr Biol. 2012 Nov 20;22(22):2144-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.09.022.

Stoeger AS, et al. Vocal Creativity in Elephant Sound Production. Biology (Basel). 2021 Aug 5;10(8):750. doi: 10.3390/biology10080750.

Vollrath, F. Uncoupling elephant TP53 and cancer. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, VOLUME 38, ISSUE 8, P705-707, AUGUST 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.011

Weissengruber GE, et al. The structure of the cushions in the feet of African elephants (Loxodonta africana). J Anat. 2006 Dec;209(6):781-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00648.x

Wu J, Zhao Y, Zhang Y, Shumate D, Braccini Slade S, Franklin SV, Hu DL. Elephant trunks form joints to squeeze together small objects. J R Soc Interface. 2018 Oct 24;15(147):20180377. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0377.

Written by Ze Frank