Graduate Research Course
Elephant Biophysics & Biochemistry
Six tonnes of intelligent, thermally-loaded biology — Loxodonta and Elephas from trunk hydrostat to infrasonic matriarchy, in nine detailed modules.
About This Course
Three extant species of elephant carry 5-7 tonnes of tissue through 40 °C heat, manipulate the environment with a 150 kg trunk of 40 000 muscles and no bones, broadcast <20 Hz calls 10 km through the ground, and carry cultural knowledge across 70-year matriarch lifespans. This course treats each system quantitatively — anatomy scaling, muscular hydrostats, ear-radiator thermodynamics, tusk dentine mechanics, Rayleigh-wave bioacoustics, neocortical cognition, and the biochemistry of musth.
Cross-links: Savanna Megafauna for comparative megafauna context, Climate & Biodiversity M13 for savanna ecology, Giraffe Biophysics ·Cetacean Biophysics ·Feline Biophysics.
Key Equations
Heat Balance
\( \dot{Q}_{met} + \dot{Q}_{solar} = \dot{Q}_{rad} + \dot{Q}_{conv} + \dot{Q}_{evap} \)
Muscular Hydrostat
\( V = \text{const}, \ \sum F_{long} = 0 \)
Rayleigh Wave Speed
\( v_R \approx 0.92\,v_S = 0.92\sqrt{\mu/\rho} \)
Infrasound Attenuation
\( \alpha(f) \propto f^2 \)
Tusk Cantilever Stress
\( \sigma_{max} = \frac{32 F L}{\pi d^3} \)
Columnar Limb Stress
\( \sigma_{bone} = \frac{F_{GRF}}{A_{bone}} \propto M^{1/3} \)
Nine Modules
M0
Evolution & Phylogenomics
Proboscidea radiation 60 Mya, Mammuthus/Palaeoloxodon fossils, Loxodonta africana vs. L. cyclotis vs. Elephas maximus genomes, Ishida 2016 split.
M1
Anatomy & Scaling
6-tonne physics, columnar limb posture, digital cushion foot pads, Biewener bone-stress scaling, heart at 25-35 bpm, Kleiber constraint at extreme mass.
M2
Trunk Biomechanics
40 000 muscle fascicles, no bones, muscular hydrostat (Kier-Smith 1985), 250 kg lift, 8 L water intake, pressure-driven breathing at 150 m/s airflow.
M3
Thermoregulation & Ears
Ear radiator (0.5 Hz flap → h from 5 to 25 W/m²/K), Williams 1990 thermal imaging, TRPV1 5-copy gene duplication, mud/dust/urination cooling.
M4
Tusks & Bite Mechanics
Dentine tusk continuous growth (3.5 m, 100 kg), 140 MPa tensile strength, handedness asymmetric wear (Haynes 1991), jaw-adductor temporalis mechanics.
M5
Infrasound & Seismic
<20 Hz vocal-fold vibration, Sutherland 2004 atmospheric attenuation α∝f², O'Connell-Rodwell Rayleigh-wave seismic detection, matriarch McComb 2001.
M6
Cognition, Memory & Grief
5 kg brain EQ 1.88, von Economo neurons (Hakeem 2009), Plotnik mirror self-recognition, Douglas-Hamilton death rituals, cultural transmission.
M7
Reproduction, Musth & Matriarchy
Musth testosterone 50× baseline, vanillin temporal-gland chemistry, 22-month gestation (longest of any mammal), matriarchal ecological knowledge holders.
M8
Climate, Conservation & Poaching
Wittemyer 2014 poaching dynamics, ivory-trade genetics (Wasser 2015), African elephant IUCN uplisting, climate-driven range contraction, forest vs. savanna species.