Figure 1.
Guide for taking standardized photographs for body condition scoring.
Figure 2.
Key areas for visually assessing body condition in female African elephants.
R = ribs, PB = pelvic bone, VR = vertebral ridge of backbone, LD = lumbar depression alongside backbone.
Figure 3.
Body condition scoring index for female African elephants.
Figure 4.
Body condition scoring flow chart for female African elephants.
Figure 5.
Scatter plot of body condition scores and overall mean ultrasound measurements of fat thickness for all five body regions combined in female African elephants.
Table 1.
Mean (SD) ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous fat thickness by body region and body condition score (BCS) category in zoo African elephants (N = 33).
Table 2.
Spearman correlations among body condition score (BCS) and mean ultrasound measurements of fat thickness of specific body regions.1
Table 3.
Level of intra-and inter-assessor agreement for assessment of elephant body condition.
Table 4.
Body condition scores (BCS) (and relative percentage) of free-ranging and captive female African elephants in each BCS category.