African Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Interactions at Elephant Bones : Observations (…)

ABSTRACT

Elephant behaviour towards dead conspecifics has been well documented, but mostly on fresh female or calf carcasses. This study builds upon existing observations by describing elephant interactions at the mortality site of a long-dead bull African savannah elephant in southern Kenya. A camera was installed at the site for 3.5 months in 2023, during which 34 unique visits were recorded. Visiting elephants often interacted with (e.g., touched, sniffed) the bones. Most events (85.3%) were by lone males or bachelor groups. Patterns of visitation are compared to past studies, and hypotheses explaining the prolonged visitation to dead conspecifics are discussed.