Chimp & See Talk

ELEPHANT TUESDAYS

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    Dear C&Sers,

    Thanks to your amazing effort and commitment to help us classify videos, we have found a considerable amount of them that brought us to very interesting discussions on elephant behavior, biology, ecology etc.

    Although most of those videos have been answered here on TALK, we have been encouraged by some users to post a blog on elephants, and we thought it´s an amazing idea. So here is the latest news:

    we have decided not to do a blog post alone, but a long blog on elephants including all the topics that we have already gone through and that might come in a future. So, in order to give it an organized structure, we thought of setting an `Elephant Tuesday´, meaning an elephant blog post on a new topic every Tuesday, which you will find here http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/.

    Needless to say, any suggestion, comment, question, etc. will be very much appreciated 😃

    We hope you like it!!"

    The Science Team

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    ..and as promised, the new blog post on elephants: a general vision of the elephant´s role in nature, here: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/

    enjoy it!!

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    Here is the link 😃 http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2016/11/elephant-tuesday-elephants-role-in.html

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    Ups! exactly, thanks Mimi :S

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    The second entry of Elephant Tuesday is a description of the different elephant species and is now online: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2016/11/elephant-tuesday-elephant-species.html

    Don´t miss it!

    We hope you like it 😉

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    ...and the third entry of fhe Elephant Tuesday about how to distinguish between males and females : http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2016/11/elephanttuesdays-male-or-female.html

    :]

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    next elephant post: explaining how the individuals develop with age and their age-dependent role in the herd: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2016/11/elephanttuesdays-elephant-life-stages.html

    XD

    Posted

  • Snorticus by Snorticus

    Looking forward to catching up on these elephant posts tomorrow, thanks Nuria!

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    Talking about the amazing elephant´s feet: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2016/12/elephanttuesdays-elephants-feet.html

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    did you know why elephants eat wood? check it in the next Elephant Tuesdays post: The elephant´s teeth here: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2016/12/elephanttuesdays-elephants-teeth.html

    enjoy reading 😃

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    New post up today and it may be my favourite so far! Elephant trunks!! http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2016/12/elephanttuesdays-elephants-trunk.html

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator in response to MimiA's comment.

    I´m glad to hear that Mimi 😃

    I just wanted to add a big THANK YOU to @AnLand for suggesting me a beautiful video of an elephant taking a sand bath and linked in the blog post ... 😉

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    FYI,

    the Elephant Tuesdays is going to take a Christmas break...we´ll be back in January with more interesting topics.

    Thanks everyone for reading and Merry Christmas!!!!

    Posted

  • AnLand by AnLand moderator

    Thank you, Nuria! By the way, it is a bit disappointing that elephants don't actually drink with their trunks. It would make so much sense. (And I didn't know.)

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    Hi everyone, just so you know, while Nuria is taking a much deserved break, I have saved up some elephant posts from other sources that I will be posting on facebook and twitter ,so if you want your elephant tuesday fix follow https://www.facebook.com/chimpandsee/ and/or https://twitter.com/ChimpandSee

    and as a shameless self promotion side note - if you are into subscribing to youtube channels then also think about subscribng to the youtube channel we have (if we get 100 subscribers we can get a custom URL which is nice but of course just some frosting 😃 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8m1YUWLJf93gtE0dAnsXaA

    Posted

  • AnLand by AnLand moderator

    I hope that I did not miss any earlier answers or blogposts, but I have two questions about forest elephants as we do see them here at Chimp&See exclusively and almost everywhere else (in documentaries etc.) one sees bush elephants: first, I cannot really imagine that bigger groups of elephants walk through the forest. I think the maximum that I've seen here was five elephants together. So, how big are elephant groups in the forest and what kind of "family" does such a group represent? Are they staying together permanently or does that change as with the chimps?

    Second, bush elephants - as far as I know - walk quite a bit everyday to find food and water. In my impression, the forests here are quite moist with lots of vegetation, so that does not seem necessary here. How far they travel in the forest every day and do they have a home range?

    If this will be part of a later blogpost, I am happy to wait for an answer. I just thought about that.

    Thanks!

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator in response to AnLand's comment.

    Hi Anja, nope, you didn´t miss any blogpost refering to elephant population size and locomotion. It´s still to come, but I can give you some answers in advance 😃

    1. how big are elephant groups in the forest and what kind of "family" does such a group represent? Are they staying together permanently or does that change as with the chimps?

    It is known that the bush elephants gather in larger groups than the forest ele. Nevertheless, these last ones live in groups larger than 5 individuals; although it is harder to move in the forest and to find each other due to the often lack of visibility, all elephant species find each other not only by using their eyesight, but also their `auditory´ sense (as mentioned in an older elephant tuesdays post, by using infrasounds, trompeting, etc). So elephants in general are biologically designed to live in large groups, with senses that allow them find others and communicate in large distances.

    As the other ele. species, forest ele. live in matriarchal groups and as it happens in chimp groups, adolescent individuals leave the group (contrary to chimps, young bulls are those leaving the herd and gathering in bachelor parties).

    2. Second, bush elephants - as far as I know - walk quite a bit everyday to find food and water. In my impression, the forests here are quite moist with lots of vegetation, so that does not seem necessary here. How far they travel in the forest every day and do they have a home range?

    This is a very difficult question; in fact, I can´t give you an exact number, but I will tell you one thing: no matter about which species we are talking about, they need to move . The distance that they daily walk and their seasonal movements are directly related to the food and water availability. The reasons why they NEED to move are obviously to train their muscles, and also for their heart, blood circulation and general health. It´s also important for their brain, neurological system and their cognitive abilities.

    Here I´m going to give you some very general estimations: the `home ranges´ of elephants in the wild vary depending on environmental factors (weather, food availability, etc) between 15-50 Km2 to 500-3000 Km2. The largest seasonal elephant movement was recorded in Mali, by the Gourma Elephants (up to 80 km. per day). However, families with many infants don´t walk more than 5 Km per hour.

    Forest elephants do have their home range, and there are some studies about it. Although home range measurements remain unclear, they are no doubt a result of the influence of variables like habitat heterogeneity, feeding ecology, predation, and social interactions. In this article you will find some numbers: http://savetheelephants.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2002ForestElephantDistribution.pdf

    Sorry if it doesn´t sound very scientific, but as a general rule, forest ele. and Asian elephants walk shorter distances than bush elephants due to the reasons that you already mention, food and water availability.

    I hope I could help 😕

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    Andrea Turkalo is the expert on forest elephants - look into some of her stuff for more info!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YYe_NeA618

    http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/04/the-fate-of-forest-elephants-andrea-turkalo-shares-her-experiences-insights-and-concerns/

    Posted

  • AnLand by AnLand moderator

    Thank you both for the answers and links! I still find it always amazing when such a big animal - or even several of them - appears from the forest.

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    Today´s entry: the elephant´s vision: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2017/01/elephanttuesdays-elephants-vision.html

    enjoy it 😃

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    cool and interesting article on the blog, thanks Nuria! I'd never thought that elephants could have almost any eye color!

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator in response to Boleyn's comment.

    I´m glad you like this last post...I know an elephant whose eyes are green/blue. They are so impressive, that his keepers were afraid of him (I guess it has to do with his musth phases too 😃 ). (hey @Boleyn, did you see your mail with the collage suggestion I sent you? did you find it useful? 😃 )

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator in response to NuriaM's comment.

    Hi @NuriaM thanks so much for the suggestion re collage and posting and your reminder. Somehow I missed to see it (don't know why thoug...) Anja pointed this same collage tool out to me as well and I have to admit the collages look way cool. My next one will be a funky one too 😉

    Blue eyed elephant - sounds somehow scary! 😃

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    ...about the elephant´s social structure; http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2017/01/elephanttuesdays-oh-mama-females-role.html . A society run by females 😃

    Posted

  • zoogirl1 by zoogirl1

    These are really fascinating @NuriaM, thank you for posting. I learn something every time.

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator in response to zoogirl1's comment.

    😃

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    talking about the elephant´s emotions: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2017/02/elephanttuesdays-about-emotions.html

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    What are the indicators of the elephant´s intelligence? find them out here: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2017/02/elephanttuesdays-sense-and-sensibility.html

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    Again some very interesting facts about elephants. Thanks a lot!

    Some time ago I've read a fascinating story about a herd of elephants in South Africa: The Elephant Whisper by Laurence Anthony

    I'm sure you, Nuria, know this book, but it might be a good read for our other elephant friends here. It's a true story and full of emotion - elephant emotion! 😃

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    Thanks @Boleyn, I haven´t read that book yet, but I know Lawrence Anthony. He did a lot for the rhinos as well, an internationally well known conservationist.

    Thanks for refreshing my memory...I have to read it!

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator in response to NuriaM's comment.

    Have fun ... and a hanky ready 😉

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    Elefacts here: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2017/02/elephanttuesdays-elefacts.html is my last post. I have really enjoyed writing this blog, I have learned a lot (also about video editing...I´m getting adicted!), and I hope I could bring a bit of light about elephants, their nature, biology and ecology. There´s still soooooo much to learn!

    please keep me informed of any doubt or interesting videos, news or whatever you would like to share with me about elephants!!

    have a nice reading 😃

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator

    Thanks, Nuria, for all this interesting information about elephants. I learned a lot as well. Nice elephant compilation at the end of your blog!
    HAHA, you seem to have developed some nice addictions lately! 😉 😄

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator in response to Boleyn's comment.

    😉

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    @Boleyn, your wish is my command 😃

    here a new entry on the Elephant Tuesdays blog: the elephant communication: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.de/2017/09/elephant-communication.html

    enjoy it!

    Posted

  • NuriaM by NuriaM scientist, moderator

    Just for your information,

    there is a new entry about elephants: http://chimpandsee.blogspot.com/2018/08/guest-post-elephants-lake-project.html

    hope you like it 😃

    Posted

  • Boleyn by Boleyn moderator in response to NuriaM's comment.

    Thank you so much for this blog post, Nuria. Such a great project! I'm very happy for the Birman elephants (and for you and Ingo too 😉)

    I do deliberately not use the name Myanmar for Birma since Birma is the name the people over there (except the military) still use and always will (quote from our guide some years back) 😃

    Posted

  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    Thanks Nuria!!

    Posted

  • ksigler by ksigler moderator in response to NuriaM's comment.

    This is wonderful. @NuriaM - you are my idol. There is so much ugliness in the world that it can be overwhelming and paralyzing at times. Then along you come, the elephant heroine, finding ways to right the wrongs of humanity, bit by bit, fueled by a passion for and dedication to causes bigger than yourself. I probably sound like a "suck up," but it really is inspiring! &#128024

    Posted

  • Snorticus by Snorticus in response to NuriaM's comment.

    I have to agree with everyone else that this is a wonderful post and kudos to you & Pugli for your hard work in conservation of these magnificent animals. Thank you Nuria & Ingo!

    Posted