Rhinos and Elephants

Hi all

I found some interesting statistics pictures from WWF recently, see below different animals. I found them on the WWF website

RHINO: http://awsassets.panda.org/img/original/rhino_infographic.jpg

Poaching: http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/illegal_wildlife_trade/

ELEPHANTS: http://awsassets.panda.org/img/original/elephant_infographic.jpg

I think these info graphics are really quite interesting and display the information really well.

Elephant facts and conservation issues

Hi all

This post will be about elephant facts and a couple of elephant conservation issues, I will post further issues next week.

Elephant facts:

1. Elephants can spend upto 16 hours a day eating
2. They are herbivores, eating leaves, plants and twigs
3. The trunk is used to pick up food and water which is then put into the mouth
4. Elephants have no natural predators. Though carnivores such as lions may prey on younger, weak, old vulnerable elephants
5. Male elephants are called bulls and females are called cow. Young elephants are called calves
6. They are the biggest land animal
7. Wild elephants are found in Africa and Asia

Poaching:

Poaching and hunting elephants for their tusks has been happening for centuries, the ivory is made into trinkets and souvenirs. Poaching may be causing an imbalance between the sexes, as males are killed for their tusks leaving only the females behind.

This website gives some good information on recent poaching incident: http://www.bloodyivory.org/

Poaching is not only for ivory, but for meat, hide, medicinal use and poaching for the entertainment industry. This involves taking elephants from the wild and using them for entertainment such as circuses.

Another interesting website: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/iv-drip/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-elephant-poaching-8983276.html

Human elephant conflict:

In recent years conflict between humans and elephants has been increasing. With human encroaching on land that elephants have used as migration routes for centuries.

This conflict usually happens when elephants end up on farmers land, sadly some farmers shoot these animals. Many deterrents have been trialed to see if they can deter elephants from entering farm land and destroying/eating the crops. Such deterrents include bees or sounds of bees, chilies and lights.

There are many interesting articles surrounding this subject: 
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/elephants/human_elephant_conflict.cfm
http://www.bornfree.org.uk/animals/asian-elephants/projects/sri-lankan-human-elephant-conflict/

An introduction to Elephants

Hi all

If you have read my previous posts you will be aware that I study Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus in the Asian elephant. I thought I would give you a brief introduction to the elephant, firstly elephant evolution and some of the differences between African and Asian elephants.

• Elephant evolution: 

(Image from: http://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/about/evolution.php)

It has been suggested that the African elephant diverged before Asian elephants and mammoths, this would suggest that the Asian elephant is more closely related to the Mammoth than the African elephant.

• Differences between the African and the Asian elephant: (Information from: Fowler, M., et al. 2006)

                                           African                                        Asian
Weight:                               4,000-7,000Kg                           2,000-5,500Kg
Height at shoulder:              3-4 metres                                   2-3.5 metres
Ears:                                   Larger                                         Smaller
Teeth:                                 Lozenge shaped loops                 Narrow compressed loops
Tusks:                                Both sexes, larger in males           Males usually have tusks, vestigial in females
Trunk:                                Two "fingers"                               One "Finger"

• A little on poaching (Will discuss further later): I found this interesting image whilst searching the internet and thought I would share it. (Image from: http://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1399263/everything-you-need-know-about-ivory-poaching#comment-57879) 

References:

• Krause, J., et al. (2005). "Multiplex amplification of the mammoth mitochondrial genome and the evolution of Elephantidae." Nature 439(7077): 724-727.
• Fowler, Murray E., and Susan K. Mikota, eds. Biology, medicine, and surgery of elephants. Wiley. com, 2006.
• http://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/about/evolution.php
• http://www.scmp.com/infographics/article/1399263/everything-you-need-know-about-ivory-poaching#comment-57879

Now on twitter

Hi everyone

I am now on twitter if you wish to follow me please go to https://twitter.com/Giddypig1987 

I will be tweeting various things on there

:)