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Despite Potential Risks African Elephants Do Not Always Avoid Mountaineering.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) generally avoid steep slopes but will use them for foraging when necessary. While preferring gentler terrain, elephants demonstrate adaptability to challenging topography, especially breeding herds in varied habitats.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Zoology
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Herbivores typically avoid steep slopes due to high energetic costs and increased fall risk.
  • Previous research indicated African elephants (Loxodonta africana) avoid slopes exceeding 15°.
  • Resource limitation may compel elephants to utilize steeper terrain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate African elephant slope use in Ithala Game Reserve, South Africa.
  • To analyze how slope preference varies by herd type, habitat, and season.
  • To determine if elephants utilize steep slopes when food availability is limited.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 8.5 years of elephant positional data (N=23,837 locations).
  • Comparison of slope use between breeding herds and male elephants.
  • Examination of slope use across different habitat types (woodlands, grasslands, built-up areas) and seasons (wet vs. dry).

Main Results:

  • 95% of elephant locations were on slopes <30°, with 67% on slopes <15°.
  • Breeding herds utilized slightly steeper slopes (mean 12.6°) than bulls (mean 12.0°).
  • Habitat influenced slope use, but differences were minimal and likely not biologically significant; seasonal variation was absent.

Conclusions:

  • African elephants primarily prefer and use gentle slopes (<30°).
  • Elephants exhibit flexibility, using steeper slopes (>15° and >30°) when necessary for foraging.
  • Slope use is influenced by habitat but not significantly by season, with herd type showing minor differences.