Rees, PA 2001, 'Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) dust bathe in response to an increase in environmental temperature.' , Journal of Thermal Biology, 27 (5) , pp. 353-358.

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Abstract

(1) A captive herd of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) exhibited dusting behaviour when the maximum daily temperature exceeded approximately 13oC, and dusting frequency increased directly with the environmental temperature. (2) Individual animals showed variation in dusting frequency but this was not related to body mass, suggesting that the function of dusting is not primarily thermoregulatory. (3) Synchronisation in the timing of dusting behaviour within the herd suggests that it may have a function in the maintenance of social cohesion. (4) The function of dusting behaviour could not be determined from the data presented, but it may be involved in skin care, protection from insects or other parasites, temperature control, protection from radiation or some combination of these.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology Subjects / Themes > S Agriculture > SF Animal culture > SF408 Zoo animals Subjects outside of the University Themes
Schools:	Colleges and Schools > College of Science & Technology > School of the Built Environment Colleges and Schools > College of Science & Technology > School of Environment and Life Sciences > Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Thermal Biology
Publisher:	Elsevier
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	0306-4565
Depositing User:	H Kenna
Date Deposited:	09 Oct 2007 11:15
Last Modified:	27 Sep 2011 12:30
URI:	http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/745

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