REPRODUCTION
Asian elephant families consist of smaller numbers and are led by older females. A majority of the male elephants are found in bachelor herds away from the other elephants. Both of the male and female elephants have two glands that open in between their ear and eyes that secrete temporin. Temporin is a fluid that determines sexual maturity and allows the female elephants to use their sense of smell to understand the condition of a male. Male elephants enter a phase called the “musth period” where they excrete higher levels of testosterone. During this phase the male elephant becomes more aggressive and energetic. Male elephant’s undergo musth to establish a reproductive hierarchy. Therefore the male elephants in musth will outcompete males who aren’t in musth. The males in musth will typically do most of the breeding.
Young elephants don’t show signs of musth until they reach about 20 years old. The musth phase typically occurs until they’ve achieved their mid 50’s to early 60’s. Male elephants experience this annually for about 3-4 months however, the period of each phase can vary depending on their mental and physical conditions. Generally it’ll last anywhere between 2-3 months due to the three stages that male elephants undergo. There is a 3-4 week pre musth period, then another 4-5 week of their peaking point, and ends with a 4-5 week post musth period. When it comes to the choice of a mating partner, the female elephants don’t necessarily have a preference. The size of the male elephant’s tusk can play a role every now and then however there isn’t much mating discrimination. Occasionally the male elephants will compete for the primary mating status in their herd. In this time the female elephants will leave the area until they mate with the winning male. The mating pair will stay together for about 3 weeks before they take off to the bachelor herd. As for the female elephants, they undergo gestation anywhere between 19-22 months. At the time of birth the other females in the herd will surround her. She then will squat and birth the baby within 2 hours. After the calf is born, they will stand up and start feeding from the mother. When baby calves suckle on their mothers they use their mouths not their trunks. They continue to drink milk from their mothers for the next 2-4 years. Baby calves will always be drawn to their mothers however the other herd females will alternate to look after the baby. If a mother elephant dies then these females will look after the child. The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians researched that after administering oxytocin to a group of cows, parturition did not always occur. Oxytocin is a hormone that is produced by the pituitary gland and is a neurotransmitter that controls the reproductive system, childbirth, and lactation. Oxytocin however is known as the hormone which stimulates maternal behaviors. |