Forest elephant group composition, frugivory and coastal use in the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon

Abstract

Results of a 16-month study of forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis Matschie) group size and composition, coastal use and frugivory are presented from the Réserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon (now the Parc National de Loango). Mean forest elephant group size was 2.2 (n = 140) including solitary animals, and 3.1 excluding solitaries. Elephants consumed fruits of at least 49 species, and of the 220 elephant dungpiles examined, 185 (84.1%) contained seeds and 203 (92.3%) contained the remains of fruits (seeds and/or pulp). The mean number of seed species per dungpile (±SD) was 2.01 ± 1.49, and the mean number of fruit species was 2.28 ± 1.43. Elephants used the coastal habitat more during warmer months, and during the afternoon than the morning. It is hypothesized that coastal habitat use is related to sodium intake through consumption of salt-coated vegetation.