This volume brings together the latest research and little known observations of scholars, travelers and those who for centuries have worked with the Asian elephant as a beast of burden. The author blends these diverse sources in an easy-to-read style to provide a full and fascinating account of the elephant both in the wild and as long time associate of man's activities. Wide-ranging in geographical and temporal terms, it covers both African and Asian elephants as well as their extinct relative, the mammoth. "Elephants" discusses their origins, evolution, anatomy, ecology, and behavior. It covers the debate that countries such as Kenya and Botswana have suffered an overpopulation of elephants, and describes the ecology of this debate and its relevance to the ivory trade, along with the history of the trade. The book concludes by examining the domestication of the elephant and its practice both past and present. The key features are: discussion of key conservation issues including population growth, culling, and ivory trade; inclusion of historical points of interest; and being written by a distinguished and respected wildlife biologist.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
This attractively produced book is a must for the animal lovers or the person who just wants to know more about these fascinating creatures and their history. What's On in Wantage Clive Spinage has produced an impressive book... This book is an invaluable resource for elephant biologists, and an excellent read for anyone interested in the natural history of this complex and wonderful species. -- P.C. Lee Animal Behaviour It is written in an interesting style and is packed with fascinating pieces of information. Habitat The book is produced to the high standard ... and the text illustrations by Larry Norton are a delight. -- Gordon Woodroffe Mammal News All you ever wanted to know about the elephant from its evolution, biology and sociology, to its potential as a lifesaver for humans in the Third World, is in Clive Spinage's eminently readable book. -- Douglas Palmer BBC Wildlife This is a distinguished contribution to the literature on elephants. It is well written and a pleasure to read, with the factual information laced with anecdotal detail. It can be thoroughly recommended. -- S. K. Eltringham Journal of Animal Ecology
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Zielgruppe
Produkt-Hinweis
ISBN-13
978-0-85661-088-2 (9780856610882)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
List of colour plates xi Acknowledgements xiii Introduction xv CHAPTER 1 Mysteries of the Past: The Origins of Elephants 1 Elephants in England Elephant relatives Fossils and fantasies From fantasy to fact Cradle of the elephants Archaic ancestors The greedy gomphotheres Immodest minds and mastodons The mighty mammoth Enter the elephants Extinction of the giants Man, the great exterminator? CHAPTER 2 The Elephants: Taxonomy and Distribution 24 An African mystery Background to the African elephant The decline of the African elephant Background to the Asian elephant CHAPTER 3 Nature's Great Masterpiece: Anatomy of the Elephant 41 Curious naturalists Bridges and backbones 'A head of such huge bignesse' A case of teeth The elephant's baggy suit The feet The hand of the beast The guts of a giant The puzzle of the lungs The liver CHAPTER 4 From Aristotle to Benedict: Physiology and Functions 60 Elephants and LSD The heat of a thousand men An animal with two hearts Elephants in the Arctic Breathalysers and beer drinkers An unexplained puzzle An animal with four stomachs So capable of understanding Tears for Timur The strength of a flea CHAPTER 5 Mating and Growing Up: Reproduction and Growth 79 The private life of the elephant The season of birth The bull elephant The cow elephant Courtship and coquettes Birth Life of the calf Perils of poaching CHAPTER 6 Of Size, Sindbad and Cemeteries: Growth and Longevity 99 The giant of beasts Not built for eternity Life's game of chance Drought, the great leveller The legacy of Sindbad Death of a matriarch CHAPTER 7 Despicable Worms and Mighty Elephants: Diseases and Parasites 111 Homes for the humble The elephant doctors Piano keys and sudden death Despicable worms Of bots and Greek cuckolds Of flies that bite Elephant ticks A peculiar louse The mystery of the symbionts Curious and curiouser Tiny helpers CHAPTER 8 Matriarchs and Musth: Social Behaviour of Elephants 128 Wise old cows Helping others Happy families When elephants gather The clan and the home range Lords of the realm Madness and musth Elephant incontinence When giants fight Rumble-grumble Tales the ears may tell CHAPTER 9 Polyperchon's Predicament: Food and Feeding 153 Lessons from ancient Greece The Billy Bunter of the bush The Augean Stables The food the elephant eats Sowing as they reap A life of eating The mysterious elephants of Elgon A trunk for a hand CHAPTER 10 The Great Debate: Elephants and Trees 169 Creating havoc The elephants' effects on trees Destruction of the baobab A problem in Asia? The benefits of elephant tree-bashing Fighting back CHAPTER 11 The Elephant Casebook: Examples of Overpopulation 182 The Uganda problem The story of Tsavo The Serengeti story Influence of lake levels Botswana - a southern case history CHAPTER 12 Did Elephants Once Rule Africa? Population Dynamics and Problems 197 Darwin's deduction Living with too many elephants Population dynamics In balance with nature The magic of migration The home range In conflict with man Prodigal or prudent proboscideans? CHAPTER 13 Ivory, the Teeth of Commerce: The Structure and Growth of Tusks 215 Mighty as the head is mighty Growth and structure Elephants and daisy patterns Elephant forensics An elephantine Dorian Gray Conjuring tricks of nature Mammoth ivory CHAPTER 14 The Massacre of the Giants: The Ivory Trade 237 Four thousand years of slaughter Africa's appalling Aceldama Where did it all go to? An Africa overview Asian ivory The crash Why not kill elephants? The graveyard of greed CHAPTER 15 Anachronism or Wasted Asset? The Domestication of Elephants 264 An ancient arms race Classical controversies Ancient skills Elephants in Britain The myth of intractability Accidents will happen Using African elephants The great elephant experiment An invaluable animal A use for African elephants Appendix 1 Common and scientific names of plants mentioned in the text 287 Appendix 2 Gazetteer of parks and reserves 290 Select Bibliography 292 Index 306 The colour plate section can be found between pages 160-161
