Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (Loxodonta africana).

ABSTRACT: Elephants, the largest living land mammals, have evolved a specialized foot morphology to help reduce locomotor pressures while supporting their large body mass. Peak pressures that could cause tissue damage are mitigated passively by the anatomy of elephants' feet, yet this mechanism does not seem to work well for some captive animals. This study tests how foot pressures vary among African and Asian elephants from habitats where natural substrates predominate but where foot care protocols differ. Variations in pressure patterns might be related to differences in husbandry, including but not limited to trimming and the substrates that elephants typically stand and move on. Both species' samples exhibited the highest concentration of peak pressures on the lateral digits of their feet (which

SUBMITTER: Panagiotopoulou O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5098964 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature