How Big Is It Really? Assessing the Efficacy of Indirect Estimates of Body Size in Asian Elephants.

ABSTRACT: Information on an organism's body size is pivotal in understanding its life history and fitness, as well as helping inform conservation measures. However, for many species, particularly large-bodied wild animals, taking accurate body size measurements can be a challenge. Various means to estimate body size have been employed, from more direct methods such as using photogrammetry to obtain height or length measurements, to indirect prediction of weight using other body morphometrics or even the size of dung boli. It is often unclear how accurate these measures are because they cannot be compared to objective measures. Here, we investigate how well existing estimation equations predict the actual body weight of Asian elephants Elephas maximus, using body measurements (height, chest girth, le

SUBMITTER: Chapman SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4777392 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature