An isotope comparison of elephant (Loxodonta africana) diets in the Kruger National Park and Welgevonden Game Reserve

Bibliography: p. 116-128. === The diet of African elephants (Loxodonta africana (Blumenbach, 1797)) living in savanna environments is unresolved. Elephants are known to include varying proportions of grass and browse into their diet, but there is uncertainty as to whether they are primarily grazers...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Codron, Jacqueline
Other Authors: Lee-Thorp, Julia A
Format: Dissertation
Language:English
Published: University of Cape Town 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10315
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Summary:Bibliography: p. 116-128. === The diet of African elephants (Loxodonta africana (Blumenbach, 1797)) living in savanna environments is unresolved. Elephants are known to include varying proportions of grass and browse into their diet, but there is uncertainty as to whether they are primarily grazers or browsers. This has implications for conservation in Africa, as elephants are considered a keystone species in wildlife areas, and are associated with a number of management issues. This dissertation focuses primarily on spatial and temporal variability in grass consumption by savanna elephants.