Adipose tissue (AT) is a dynamic and flexible organ with regulatory roles in physiological functions including metabolism, reproduction and inflammation; secreted adipokines, including leptin, and fatty acids facilitate many of these roles. The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is experiencing serious challenges to optimal reproduction in captivity. The physiological and molecular basis of ...

The Asian or Asiatic elephant [1] is the only living species of the genus Elephas and is distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east [2]. They are the largest living land animals in Asia and are primarily threatened by degradation, fragmentation loss of habitat and poaching [1]. Female captive elephants live beyond 60 years when kept in semi-natural surroundings, ...

What explains the superior cognitive abilities of the human brain compared to other, larger brains? Here we investigate the possibility that the human brain has a larger number of neurons than even larger brains by determining the cellular composition of the brain of the African elephant. We find that the African elephant brain, which is about three times larger than the human brain, contains 2...

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 Born...

The antegrade stented (frozen) elephant trunk procedure and pulmonary embolectomy are complex cardiac surgical operations for extensive aortic and pulmonary arterial disease, respectively. We report the first known case of concomitant antegrade stented elephant trunk and pulmonary embolectomy in order to highlight pre- and intra-operative management strategies for this uncommon disease combinat...

Human–elephant conflict is a major problem leading to crop damage, human death by elephants and elephants being killed by people. The surveillance and tracking of elephant herds are difficult due to their size and nature of movement. Materials: In this article, we propose a four-wheeled quadruped robot to mitigate human–elephant conflict. The robot can detect movement of wild pachyderms in cert...

Contradictory findings among scientific studies that address a particular issue may impede the conversion of science to management implementation. A systematic review of peer-reviewed studies to generate a single outcome may overcome this problem. The contentious topic of the impact that a megaherbivore such as the savanna elephant have for other species and their environment can benefit from s...

Managers in southern Africa are concerned that continually increasing elephant populations will degrade ecosystems. Culling, translocation and birth control are flawed solutions. An alternative is providing elephants more space but this hinges on identifying landscape preferences. We examined two diverse ecosystems and uncovered similarities in elephant habitat use, expressing these as ‘rules’....

The Earth's climate is warming, especially in the mid- and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) breeds and haul-outs on islands and the mainland of Baja California, Mexico, and California, U.S.A. At the beginning of the 21st century, numbers of elephant seals in California are increasing, but the status of Baja California populations is...

Efforts to curb elephant poaching have focused on reducing demand, confiscating ivory and boosting security patrols in elephant range. Where land is under multiple uses and ownership, determining the local poaching dynamics is important for identifying successful conservation models. Using 2,403 verified elephant, Loxodonta africana, mortality records collected from 2002 to 2012 and the results...