Heart rate patterns of captive Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in their natural habitat at Wild Elephant Valley, Xishuangbanna of China
Fangyi Zhou,
Mingwei Bao,
Xianming Guo,
Qingzhong Shen,
Jiming Chen,
Duo Li,
Hong Bao,
Li Zhang
Affiliations
Fangyi Zhou
Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescuing and Breeding Center, Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley Co., Ltd., Jinghong, 666100, China; Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
Mingwei Bao
Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescuing and Breeding Center, Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley Co., Ltd., Jinghong, 666100, China
Xianming Guo
Institute of Scientific Research of Xishuanbanna National Nature Reserve, Jinghong, 666100, China
Qingzhong Shen
Institute of Ecotourism Management of Yunnan Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, Jinghong, 666100, China
Jiming Chen
Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescuing and Breeding Center, Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley Co., Ltd., Jinghong, 666100, China
Duo Li
Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescuing and Breeding Center, Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley Co., Ltd., Jinghong, 666100, China
Hong Bao
Xishuangbanna Asian Elephant Rescuing and Breeding Center, Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley Co., Ltd., Jinghong, 666100, China
Li Zhang
Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Corresponding author.
There are few studies on the changes of heart rate of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), one of the largest tropical terrestrial mammals, with its self-factors and external environment. By measuring the heart rate of 35 Asian elephants, ranging in age from 4 months to 52 years, using a non-invasive electrocardiogram sensor in their natural habitat at Wild Elephant Valley, Xishuangbanna of China, we found factors that significantly influenced the HR were season, phase of the day, age, body weight, and the interaction between some of the above factors. We also observed that Asian elephants had lower resting heart rate in the morning of hot season than the cold and mild season, and the differences were significant, but the heart rate increased to similar levels in the afternoon regardless of the season. HR also decreased with age in all seasons and phases of the day. However, there was no significant effect of sex. This study reveals the adaptability of Asian elephant to tropical environment, and provides a basic reference for heart rate of Asian elephant under various natural conditions.
