Orphans' tales: seasonal dietary changes in elephants from Tsavo National Park, Kenya

• Published in: Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology, 2004-04, Vol.206 (3), p.367-376
• Main Authors: Cerling, Thure E., Passey, Benjamin H., Ayliffe, Linda K., Cook, Craig S., Ehleringer, James R., Harris, John M., Dhidha, Mohamed B., Kasiki, Samuel M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African elephant; Carbon-13; Diet; Stable isotopes
• ISSN: 0031-0182; 1872-616X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2004.01.013

The similarity of δ 13C and δ 15N patterns in hairs of different individuals from the Tsavo East orphaned elephant herd indicates that a single hair represents the dietary preferences and behavior of the entire group. Multiple tail hairs from the same individual collected at different times allows a chronology to be established because of the overlap in isotope patterns in hair, and there is a very high correlation between hair from different individuals in the same group. Forward modeling using a three-component isotope turnover model for hair allows a precise estimate of diet of these elephants over a 2-year interval. Elephants from Tsavo East National Park in Kenya feed predominantly on C 3 leaves, although they have a significant fraction of C 4 grass in their diet for a short time at the beginning of the rainy season. The overall integrated diet for the elephants studied is between 10% and 15% C 4 grass, although it reaches up to 60% for short intervals. Stable carbon isotope analyses of elephant tooth enamel show that the average integrated dietary preference of elephants in Tsavo National Park remained less than 25% grass between 1940 and the present.