Why Elephants Avoid The High Road

New Scientist ^ | 7-23-2006 | Roxanne Khamsi

[blam]

Why elephants avoid the high road

17:20 24 July 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Roxanne Khamsi

Elephants do their utmost to avoid going uphill, a new satellite-tracking study shows – their finely balanced metabolism may reveal why.

Researchers tracked elephants by satellite and found that the animals avoid travelling up slopes whenever possible. Calculations suggest an explanation for this behaviour: the big beasts would have to spend hours eating to compensate for travelling up even a relatively gentle incline.

Scientists know that elephants can climb relatively steep mountainous terrain if they must. The North African general Hannibal is even said to have led elephants across the Alps around 200 BC.

Nevertheless, even a minor hill presents a considerable energy barrier for such a heavy animal, explains Fritz Vollrath at the University of Oxford in the UK.

Hill steep blues

Vollrath and colleagues used global positioning system (GPS) technology to track the movements of elephants across northern Kenya over nine years. There were, at times, as many as 30 elephants wearing special collars that transmitted GPS signals.

[Tymesup]

Unless they're taking elevators, escalators or ski lifts, this strategy won't last very long.

[supercat]

here's something cool: the word "resign", when stated two different ways, means the opposite of itself.

I'm familiar with "sanction" having opposite meanings as noun and verb. What usage of "resign" does not have a meaning associated with giving up something (possibly hope)?

[thefactor]

for instance, if you "resign" a contract, you extend your employment. re-sign.