Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on Locomotion
ABSTRACT Emerging skin diseases have severely impacted wildlife in recent decades, with consequences ranging from increased morbidity and mortality to local extinction and widespread biodiversity loss. Individuals that persist with various skin diseases can have sublethal consequences, including alt...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71774 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849410635613339648 |
|---|---|
| author | N. T. Dunham L. M. Bernstein‐Kurtycz J. Manzak A. B. Muneza M. B. Brown J. Fennessy P. M. Dennis C. J. Kendall K. E. Lukas |
| author_facet | N. T. Dunham L. M. Bernstein‐Kurtycz J. Manzak A. B. Muneza M. B. Brown J. Fennessy P. M. Dennis C. J. Kendall K. E. Lukas |
| author_sort | N. T. Dunham |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Emerging skin diseases have severely impacted wildlife in recent decades, with consequences ranging from increased morbidity and mortality to local extinction and widespread biodiversity loss. Individuals that persist with various skin diseases can have sublethal consequences, including altered behavior and impaired locomotor function. Giraffe skin disease (GSD) is a condition that results in skin lesions of varying severity among different giraffe (Giraffa spp.) populations throughout Africa. Prior reports have suggested that individuals with limb lesions from GSD do not have increased mortality but rather suffer from lameness. We examined whether GSD severity and unilateral versus bilateral forelimb lesions differentially impact spatiotemporal gait kinematics and carpus joint angle kinematics of Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi tippelskirchi) in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. We found that GSD lesions altered normal walking gait kinematics (i.e., decreased walking speed and increased stride duration) largely irrespective of lesion severity or number of limbs affected. Impaired movement due to GSD could negatively impact foraging efficiency, dispersal, and predator susceptibility. Given that wildlife skin diseases are predicted to become more prevalent with climate change, examinations of their sublethal effects, in addition to their effects on mortality, are required to better understand long‐term ramifications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8a75f6fc79664626b64c2eadac5c7b43 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-8a75f6fc79664626b64c2eadac5c7b432025-08-20T03:35:01ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-07-01157n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71774Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on LocomotionN. T. Dunham0L. M. Bernstein‐Kurtycz1J. Manzak2A. B. Muneza3M. B. Brown4J. Fennessy5P. M. Dennis6C. J. Kendall7K. E. Lukas8Division of Conservation and Science Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Ohio USALittle Rock Zoo Little Rock Arkansas USANorth Carolina Zoo Asheboro North Carolina USAGiraffe Conservation Foundation Windhoek NamibiaGiraffe Conservation Foundation Windhoek NamibiaGiraffe Conservation Foundation Windhoek NamibiaDivision of Conservation and Science Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Ohio USANorth Carolina Zoo Asheboro North Carolina USADivision of Conservation and Science Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Ohio USAABSTRACT Emerging skin diseases have severely impacted wildlife in recent decades, with consequences ranging from increased morbidity and mortality to local extinction and widespread biodiversity loss. Individuals that persist with various skin diseases can have sublethal consequences, including altered behavior and impaired locomotor function. Giraffe skin disease (GSD) is a condition that results in skin lesions of varying severity among different giraffe (Giraffa spp.) populations throughout Africa. Prior reports have suggested that individuals with limb lesions from GSD do not have increased mortality but rather suffer from lameness. We examined whether GSD severity and unilateral versus bilateral forelimb lesions differentially impact spatiotemporal gait kinematics and carpus joint angle kinematics of Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi tippelskirchi) in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. We found that GSD lesions altered normal walking gait kinematics (i.e., decreased walking speed and increased stride duration) largely irrespective of lesion severity or number of limbs affected. Impaired movement due to GSD could negatively impact foraging efficiency, dispersal, and predator susceptibility. Given that wildlife skin diseases are predicted to become more prevalent with climate change, examinations of their sublethal effects, in addition to their effects on mortality, are required to better understand long‐term ramifications.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71774gait kinematicsgiraffe skin diseaselocomotionMasai giraffe |
| spellingShingle | N. T. Dunham L. M. Bernstein‐Kurtycz J. Manzak A. B. Muneza M. B. Brown J. Fennessy P. M. Dennis C. J. Kendall K. E. Lukas Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on Locomotion Ecology and Evolution gait kinematics giraffe skin disease locomotion Masai giraffe |
| title | Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on Locomotion |
| title_full | Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on Locomotion |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on Locomotion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on Locomotion |
| title_short | Exploring the Effects of Giraffe Skin Disease Limb Lesions on Locomotion |
| title_sort | exploring the effects of giraffe skin disease limb lesions on locomotion |
| topic | gait kinematics giraffe skin disease locomotion Masai giraffe |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71774 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ntdunham exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT lmbernsteinkurtycz exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT jmanzak exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT abmuneza exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT mbbrown exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT jfennessy exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT pmdennis exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT cjkendall exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion AT kelukas exploringtheeffectsofgiraffeskindiseaselimblesionsonlocomotion |