ArticlePeerJ2021
The tail-tale of stress: an exploratory analysis of cortisol levels in the tail-hair of captive Asian elephants.
Article in PeerJ, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physiological responses in free-ranging Asian elephant populations living across human-production landscapes.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Article
- Rapid post-release adaptation of released orphan elephants from a rescue centre to a national park in Sri Lanka based on faecal glucocorticoid metabolite analyses.Conservation physiology · 2025Article
- Nailing it: Investigation of elephant toenails for retrospective analysis of adrenal and reproductive hormones.Conservation physiology · 2024Article
- Article
- Physiological plasticity in elephants: highly dynamic glucocorticoids in African and Asian elephants.Conservation physiology · 2023Article
- Application of Felid Hair for Non-Invasive Tracking of Animal Reproductive Status and Adrenal Activity.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAssessment of physiological states by measuring biomarkers, such as cortisol, has significantly contributed to the monitoring of health, welfare and management of animals. Immunoreactive cortisol in hair (hC) has been used widely for deciphering 'stressful' past-events in various wild and captive animals. However, no such studies have been done in long-lived mammals.
methodsIn this first exploratory study in elephants, we assessed (i) tail-hair growth rate (TGR) and (ii) hC levels in tail-hair samples from six captive Asian elephants from two zoos in Japan for comparing hC levels with zoo-keepers' records of distinct biological events over a c.0.5-2.0-year period. Tail-hair samples were cut into segments (based on monthly growth rate), pulverized or minced and a validated cortisol enzyme-immunoassay employed to measure hC levels.
resultsWhen the hC levels of all individuals were compared with the keepers' records,
conclusionsOur observations open up the possibility of using the tail-hair as an alternative matrix to reconstruct the physiological history of elephants.
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