Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Olga Panagiotopoulou; Todd C Pataky; Madeleine Day; Michael C Hensman; Sean Hensman; John R Hutchinson; Christofer J Clemente

doi:10.1098/rsos.160203

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Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Olga Panagiotopoulou, Todd C Pataky, Madeleine Day, Michael C Hensman, Sean Hensman, John R Hutchinson and Christofer J Clemente

Royal Society Open Science, Vol.3(10)

2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160203

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Abstract

biomechanics

welfare,

Proboscidea

locomotion

centre of pressure

elephant feet

Elephants, the largest living land mammals, have evolved a specialized foot morphology to help reduce locomotor pressures while supporting their large body mass. Peak pressures that could cause tissue damage are mitigated passively by the anatomy of elephants' feet, yet this mechanism does not seem to work well for some captive animals. This study tests how foot pressures vary among African and Asian elephants from habitats where natural substrates predominate but where foot care protocols differ. Variations in pressure patterns might be related to differences in husbandry, including but not limited to trimming and the substrates that elephants typically stand and move on. Both species' samples exhibited the highest concentration of peak pressures on the lateral digits of their feet (which tend to develop more disease in elephants) and lower pressures around the heel. The trajectories of the foot's centre of pressure were also similar, confirming that when walking at similar speeds, both species load their feet laterally at impact and then shift their weight medially throughout the step until toe-off. Overall, we found evidence of variations in foot pressure patterns that might be attributable to husbandry and other causes, deserving further examination using broader, more comparable samples.

Details

Title: Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
Authors: Olga Panagiotopoulou (Author) - University of Queensland
Todd C Pataky (Author) - Shinshu University, Japan
Madeleine Day (Author) - University of Queensland
Michael C Hensman (Author) - Adventures with Elephants, South Africa
Sean Hensman (Author) - Adventures with Elephants, South Africa
John R Hutchinson (Author) - University of Queensland
Christofer J Clemente (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Publication details: Royal Society Open Science, Vol.3(10); 13
Publisher: Royal Society Publishing
Date published: 2016
DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160203
ISSN: 2054-5703
Copyright note: Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450917702621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Zoology

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