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African elephant bull
Loxodonta Africanus
-33.5578, 25.6909
Field Notes
Description:
Elephant herds comprise females & juvenile males led by a matriarch. Adult bull elephants do not form part of the herd & only interact with the females during mating. Females may mate with a number of different bulls during their receptive period & select which of her partners actually inseminates her - usually the largest strongest bull. This ensures her progeny have the best chance of survival through inheriting these traits.
Habitat:
This bull approached the hide we were in & displayed some quite aggressive behavior including a couple of mock charges at us. You can see in photos 3 & 4 that he has discharge from glands above his eyes that indicate he is in musth.
Musth is a periodic condition in bull elephants, characterized by highly aggressive behavior, accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones - testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be as much as 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times.
Notes:
This bull approached the hide we were in & displayed some quite aggressive behavior including a couple of mock charges at us. You can see in photos 3 & 4 that he has discharge from glands above his eyes that indicate he is in musth.
Musth is a periodic condition in bull elephants, characterized by highly aggressive behavior, accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones - testosterone levels in an elephant in musth can be as much as 60 times greater than in the same elephant at other times.
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