GRAY, A.C.*; LOIZI, H.; CORRELL, M.; GOODWIN, T.; RASMUSSEN, L.E.L.; SCHULTE, B.A.; Georgia Southern University, Statesboro; Georgia Southern University, Statesboro; College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA; Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas; Oregon Health and Sciences University, Beaverton, OR; Georgia Southern University, Statesboro; ; : Social group association patterns by young male and female African elephants

The African elephant, Loxodonta africana africana, is highly social and lives in matriarchal family groups. Males and females differ in their developmental patterns. Male elephants become independent of the family group as young teenagers, but are not fully sexually active until their mid-twenties, around the time of their first full musth. Females remain with their natal herd and become sexually active in their early teens. We examined the association patterns of young male and female elephants at Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. We hypothesized that females would remain closer to adult females, whereas males would associate more with same sex peers. The park has some 400 elephants enclosed in 14,000 ha. We identified elephants by characteristic ear and body morphology using a photograph identification file. From June 8 to August 10, 2003 we noted group composition, nearest neighbor identity and approximate distance for each elephant that we located in the park. We made observations from a vehicle on tourist or service roads. We report on the association relationships of developing male and female African elephants in the broader context of understanding the ontogeny of their chemical communication patterns and social dynamics.