Current Status of Asian Elephants in Borneo
نویسندگان
چکیده
The origin of the Bornean elephant is still very controversial, despite the publication of a genetic study by Fernando et al. (2003) indicating the distinctiveness of the Bornean elephant and its derivation from Sundaic stock. The authors suggested independent evolution of the Bornean elephant for some 300,000 years since a postulated Pleistocene colonization and recognized it as native to Borneo and as a separate Evolutionary Significant Unit. Based on the lack of genetic variability and fossil evidence in Borneo the theory that elephants sent to Sulu at the end of the 14th century as a gift between royal personages, proliferated on the island and subsequently provided the founder members of the existing population of northeast Borneo has been revisited (Cranbrook et al. 2008). While the conclusion by Fernando et al. (2003) was based on the absence of a source population on the mainland, Cranbrook et al. (2008) suggest that the source could have been the now extinct Javan elephant. Nevertheless, the debate on the origin of the Bornean elephant should not lead us astray from the fact that it is unique and that it deserves conservation efforts. Bornean elephants have many distinctive characters such as smaller size, larger ears, straight tusks, long tail that reaches to the ground and may also show some behavioural differences.
منابع مشابه
DNA Analysis Indicates That Asian Elephants Are Native to Borneo and Are Therefore a High Priority for Conservation
The origin of Borneo's elephants is controversial. Two competing hypotheses argue that they are either indigenous, tracing back to the Pleistocene, or were introduced, descending from elephants imported in the 16th-18th centuries. Taxonomically, they have either been classified as a unique subspecies or placed under the Indian or Sumatran subspecies. If shown to be a unique indigenous populatio...
متن کاملCurrent Status of Asian Elephants in Myanmar
Although Myanmar’s forests have long been considered an Asian elephant stronghold (e.g. Santiapillai & Jackson 1990), recent assessments revealed that this perception probably was overly optimistic and that populations have declined considerably during the last century (Table 1). In 2004, the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division (NWCD) and the Smithsonian Institution organized a workshop t...
متن کاملCurrent Status of Asian Elephants in China
Asian elephants are only found in a very small area of southern China with a total number of individuals less than 200. They occur in bamboobroadleaf mixed forests along gullies and rivers, at altitudes under 1000 m. Current elephant habitat is highly fragmented and consists of isolated patches situated among extensive stretches of tea and rubber plantations, and croplands. Habitat loss and poa...
متن کاملEffect of calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation on several parameters of calcium status in plasma and urine of captive Asian (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana).
The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of oral calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation on several parameters of calcium status in plasma and urine of captive Asian (Elephas maximus; n=10) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana; n=6) and to detect potential species differences. Calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation were investigated in a feeding trial using a crossove...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
دوره شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2008