The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mystery
The paper reviews aspects of the long held debate concerning the existence of the pgymy elephant and notes the author's own observations in the Bayanga Forest in southwestern Central African Republic during a survey in early 1986. The author suggests the persistence of the pygmy elephant myth...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IUCN
1986-12-01
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| Series: | Pachyderm |
| Online Access: | https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/632 |
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| _version_ | 1849717801051226112 |
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| author | David Western |
| author_facet | David Western |
| author_sort | David Western |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The paper reviews aspects of the long held debate concerning the existence of the pgymy elephant and notes the author's own observations in the Bayanga Forest in southwestern Central African Republic during a survey in early 1986. The author suggests the persistence of the pygmy elephant myth may be the result of two factors: the tusk development of the forest elephant is more rapid than the savannah or bush elephant, and the belief that such a species exists. However, it appears that two races of elephants do exist in much of the forest areas, but that the two are the forest L. cyclotis and the bush L. africana. This sympatry suggests that there is broader zone of overlap between the ecological conditions favoured by each of the races than generally assumed.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c42b189901ca47df968ec637d3a61a19 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1026-2881 1683-5018 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 1986-12-01 |
| publisher | IUCN |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pachyderm |
| spelling | doaj-art-c42b189901ca47df968ec637d3a61a192025-08-20T03:12:34ZengIUCNPachyderm1026-28811683-50181986-12-017110.69649/pachyderm.v7i1.632The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mysteryDavid Western The paper reviews aspects of the long held debate concerning the existence of the pgymy elephant and notes the author's own observations in the Bayanga Forest in southwestern Central African Republic during a survey in early 1986. The author suggests the persistence of the pygmy elephant myth may be the result of two factors: the tusk development of the forest elephant is more rapid than the savannah or bush elephant, and the belief that such a species exists. However, it appears that two races of elephants do exist in much of the forest areas, but that the two are the forest L. cyclotis and the bush L. africana. This sympatry suggests that there is broader zone of overlap between the ecological conditions favoured by each of the races than generally assumed. https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/632 |
| spellingShingle | David Western The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mystery Pachyderm |
| title | The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mystery |
| title_full | The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mystery |
| title_fullStr | The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mystery |
| title_full_unstemmed | The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mystery |
| title_short | The pygmy elephant: a myth and a mystery |
| title_sort | pygmy elephant a myth and a mystery |
| url | https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/632 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT davidwestern thepygmyelephantamythandamystery AT davidwestern pygmyelephantamythandamystery |