User:Kratinaha/Elephant communication

Small edits

 * rename paragraphs to "Tactile communication" and so on

Small paragraph

 * lead section should be expanded

Big paragraph

 * Semiochemical communication

Research
= Mammalian Semiochemistry, Albone (1984) =


 * Elephants of both sexes have temporal glands (p. 102)
 * Up to 1,5 kg (p. 102)
 * During musth secretions from male elephants attract females but other events like stress and exitement    may also trigger their flow
 * Composition
 * African elephant: contains a lot of p-cresol
 * Phenol, m-cresol, all-trans-farnesol, cholesterol, protein, urea

= Chemical signals in the reproduction of Asian Elephas maximus and African Loxodonta africana elephants, L.E.L. Rasmussen a, B.A. Schulte (1998) =


 * Temporal glands
 * Asian elephants (p. 20)
 * Males only secrete during musth
 * Females secrete rarely
 * African elephants
 * Female: stress and excitement can induce secretion of watery substance
 * Males: more viscous during musth
 * Semiochemicals are often transported to the vomeronasal organ via the trunk
 * Different stages of investigating a smell (p. 21)
 * Sniff
 * Check: touching surface with the tip of the trunk
 * Place: touching surface with the whole end of the trunk
 * Flemen: inserting the end of the trunk into the mouth to touch the openings of the vomeronasal organ ducts with the tip of the trunk after a place
 * Flemen: inserting the end of the trunk into the mouth to touch the openings of the vomeronasal organ ducts with the tip of the trunk after a place

Semiochemistry
Elephants can also communicate through olfaction and semiochemicals.

Secretion of semiochemicals can occur through feces and urine as well as the temporal gland, a structure that is derived from sweat glands and located on both sides of the head of male and female elephants. The substance secreted by male elephants from their temporal glands during musth contains many chemicals and seems to be of interest to females.

Elephants may investigate and detected semiochemicals through the vomeronasal organ (VNO). Elephants may go through several steps of investigating the smell of a surface with their trunk before inserting its tip into their mouth to touch the anterior part of their hard palate and thus transfer semiochemicals to the VNO.