Supplementary Data 5 from Foot pressure distributions during walking in African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Elephants, the largest living land mammals, have evolved a specialized foot morphology to help reduce locomotor pressures while supporting their large body mass. Peak pressures that could cause tissue damage are mitigated passively by the anatomy of elephants' feet, yet this mechanism does not seem to work well for some captive animals. This study tests how foot pressures vary among African and Asian elephants from habitats where natural substrates predominate but where foot care protocols differ. Variations in pressure patterns might be related to differences in husbandry, including but not limited to trimming and the substrates that elephants typically stand and move on. Both species' samples exhibited the highest concentration of peak pressures on the lateral digits of their feet (which tend to develop more disease in elephants) and lower pressures around the heel. The trajectories of the foot's centre of pressure were also similar, confirming that when walking at similar speeds, both species load their feet laterally at impact and then shift their weight medially throughout the step until toe-off. Overall, we found evidence of variations in foot pressure patterns that might be attributable to husbandry and other causes, deserving further examination using broader, more comparable samples.

作为现存最大的陆生哺乳动物，大象演化出了特化的足部形态结构，以在支撑自身庞大体重的同时降低运动过程中的承压负荷。可能造成软组织损伤的峰值承压，可通过大象足部的解剖结构被动缓解，但该保护机制对部分圈养个体似乎效果不佳。本研究探究了非洲象与亚洲象在以自然基质为主但足部护理方案不同的栖息环境中，其足部承压模式的差异。承压模式的差异可能与饲养管理方式的不同相关，包括但不限于修蹄护理以及大象日常站立、活动所依托的行走基质。两类象的样本均显示，其足部外侧趾骨区域的峰值承压集中度最高（该区域在大象中更易引发病变），而足跟周围的承压水平较低。二者足部的压力中心运动轨迹也较为相似，这证实了当二者以相近速度行走时，均会在触地阶段以足部外侧承受载荷，随后在整个迈步过程中将体重向内侧转移，直至趾部离地。总体而言，本研究发现足部承压模式存在差异，该差异或与饲养管理及其他因素相关，未来可通过更具广泛性与可比性的样本开展进一步研究。