musth
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thumb|Temporin secretion during musth thumb|A wild Indian elephant in musth thumb|right|An elephant in musth digging its tusks into the ground thumb|An Asian elephant bull chained during musth, with discharge from the temporal glands. thumb|right|Elephants in musth fighting each other Musth or must is a periodic condition in bull (male) elephants characterized by aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones. It has been known in Asian elephants for 3,000 years but was only described in African elephants in 1981. Evidence indicates that similar behaviour occurred
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8 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Biology
- Physical characteristics
- Behavioral characteristics
- Management
- Cultural depictions
- References
- External links
thumb|Temporin secretion during musth thumb|A wild Indian elephant in musth thumb|right|An elephant in musth digging its tusks into the ground thumb|An Asian elephant bull chained during musth, with discharge from the temporal glands. thumb|right|Elephants in musth fighting each other Musth or must is a periodic condition in bull (male) elephants characterized by aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones. It has been known in Asian elephants for 3,000 years but was only described in African elephants in 1981. Evidence indicates that similar behaviour occurred in extinct proboscideans like gomphotheres and mastodons.
Elephants often discharge a thick, tar-like secretion called temporin from the temporal gland during musth. Behavioral management for captive bull elephants in musth includes physical restraint and a starvation diet for several days to a week.