Topic
Musth
About: Musth is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 138 publications have been published within this topic receiving 5396 citations. The topic is also known as: must.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
Book•
1 Jan 2003
TL;DR: The Living Elephants as mentioned in this paper is an authoritative resource for information on both Asian and African elephants, from the ancient origins of the proboscideans to the present-day crisis of the living elephants, while covering also the history of human interactions with elephants, all within the theoretical framework of evolutionary biology.
Abstract: The Living Elephants is the authoritative resource for information on both Asian and African elephants. From the ancient origins of the proboscideans to the present-day crisis of the living elephants, this volume synthesizes the behavior, ecology and conservation of elephants, while covering also the history of human interactions with elephants, all within the theoretical framework of evolutionary biology. The book begins with a survey of the 60-million year evolutionary history of the proboscideans emphasizing the role of climate and vegetation change in giving rise to a bewildering array of species, but also discussing the possible role of humans in the late Pleistocene extinction of mastodonts and mammoths. The latest information on the molecular genetics of African and Asian elephants and its taxonomic implications are then presented. The rise of the elephant culture in Asia, and its early demise in Africa are traced along with an original interpretation of this unique animal-human relationship. The book then moves on to the social life of elephants as it relates to reproductive strategies of males and females, development of behavior in young, communication, ranging patterns, and societal organization. The foraging strategies of elephants, their impact on the vegetation and landscape are then discussed. The dynamics of elephant populations in relation to hunting for ivory and their population viability are described with the aid of mathematical models. A detailed account of elephant-human interactions includes a treatment of crop depredation by elephants in relation to their natural ecology, manslaughter by elephants, habitat manipulation by humans, and a history of the ivory trade and poaching in the two continents. The ecological information is brought together in the final chapter to formulate a set of pragmatic recommendations for the long-term conservation of elephants. The broadest treatment of the subject yet undertaken, by one of the leading workers in the field, Raman Sukumar, the book promises to bring the understanding of elephants to a new level. It should be of interest not only to biologists but also a broader audience including field ecologists, wildlife administrators, historians, conservationists and all those interested in elephants and their future.
441 citations
TL;DR: Although the musth periods of male elephants are asynchronous the phenomenon can functionally be considered a rutting period, and the physical and behavioral manifestations of musth in elephants are similar to those described for other male mammals during rut.
Abstract: 1. The physical and behavioral characteristics and the temporal patterning of musth were studied over a ten-year period in a free-ranging population of African elephants. 2. Males spent more time in association with females during musth than during non-musth periods. 3. Males were more aggressive during their musth periods than during non-musth. 4. The occurrence and duration of musth were age-related: no male under 24 years was seen in musth; bouts of must among younger individuals were short and sporadic, while older males experienced longer more predictable periods of musth on an annual basis. 5. Although males in musth were observed year-round, the frequency of musth males was highest during and following the two rainy seasons and, in general, good rainfall years had higher frequencies of males in musth than did poor rainfall years. 6. The number of males in musth per month correlated closely with the number of females observed in estrus. However, since the period of estrus lasts only four to six days (Moss, 1983), while musth may last several months, the onset of musth was not necessarily triggered by the onset of estrus in a particular female. 7. The musth periods of different males were asynchronous and each male came into musth at a specific time of year. This period was relatively consistent from one year to the next, particularly among the older males. 8. Males in musth advertised their heightened sexual and aggressive state through visual and olfactory signals and by vocalizing. It is suggested that these signals function to announce identity, condition and location to both rival males and to potentially receptive females. 9. The physical and behavioral characteristics and temporal patterning of musth in African and Asian elephants are compared and found to be remarkably similar. 10. The physical and behavioral manifestations of musth in elephants are similar to those described for other male mammals during rut. Since estrus in female elephants is less clumped relative to most ungulates, male elephants have a different temporal pattern of rutting. Although the musth periods of male elephants are asynchronous the phenomenon can functionally be considered a rutting period.
256 citations
TL;DR: Male guarding of females, male mating success and female choice were studied for 8 years among a population of African elephants and the behaviour of oestrous females resulted in their mating with males who were old, vigorous and healthy.
254 citations
TL;DR: Musth may be a case where information about resource value is conveyed in elephants, since, unlike most other rutting mammals, elephants have asynchronous sexually active periods, resource value varies both with age and the fluctuating sexual state of a particular individual.
241 citations
TL;DR: Levels of cortisol metabolites in male African elephant bulls showed that in each male levels of these cortisol metabolites were not elevated during periods of musth, suggesting that in the African elephant musth is generally not associated with marked elevations in glucocorticoid output.
224 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2016 | 6 |