African elephants have predictably mammoth food needs: three meters high and heavy about 6 tons of adults, they must Consume a gigantic amount of vegetation every day. And they must do it in an environment that is not always welcoming: crossing the savannah is tiring, and for an elephant every step counts and every drop of energy is essential.
Apparently, the elephants themselves know it very well: a study published on Journal of Animal Ecology tells for the first time The strategies implemented by the elephants to move.
No to climbs and descents … The African elephants protagonists of the study are 157 specimens living in North Kenyaand which were monitored through GPS 22 years by the Save the Elephants association, founded in England but based in Kenya. These decades of observations have made it possible to understand in detail What are the energy saving strategies of the pachyderms.
The most obvious result is that elephants avoid At all costs (at least when they can) i Having been rough or those with too many climbs and descents: Their favorite paths are the flat ones, where less energy is consumed. This preference was seen in 94% of the cases studied, demonstrating also that elephants know their territory and already know that travelers travel and which to avoid.
… yes to water and plants. The other driving element in the choices of African elephants is the presence of vegetation: 93% of the specimens, being able to choose, opted for a path that passes through an area rich in resources, where it is easier recover the energy expenses for travel. Elephants also aim for water, but in different ways: some choose to skirt a river without ever moving away, others use water to drink but then return to travel drier paths; What is certain is that Everyone knows where the nearest river or lake is located.
In addition to telling us a lot about the strategies and geographical knowledge of the elephants, this study also has an important effect on the conservation of the species, because knowing what their favorite soils are helping to create protected areas and natural reserves most suitable for the needs of pachyderms.
