Data from: Visual feedback influences the consistency of the locomotor pattern in Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)

Elephants are atypical of most quadrupeds in that they maintain the same
lateral sequence footfall pattern across all locomotor speeds. It has been
speculated that the preservation of the footfall patterns is necessary to
maintain a statically stable support polygon. This should be a
particularly important constraint in large, relatively slow animals. This
suggests that elephants must rely on available sensory feedback mechanisms
to actively control their massive pillar-like limbs for proper foot
placement and sequencing. How the nervous system of elephants integrates
the available sensory information for a stable gait is unknown. Here we
explored the role that visual feedback plays in the control of the
locomotor pattern in elephants. Four Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
walked with and without a blindfold as we measured their stride time
intervals. Coefficient of variation was used to assess changes in the
overall variability of the stride time intervals, while approximate
entropy was used to measure the stride-to-stride consistency of the time
intervals. We show that visual feedback plays a role in the
stride-to-stride consistency of the locomotor pattern in elephants. These
results demonstrate that elephants likely use visual feedback to correct
and maintain proper sequencing of the limbs during locomotion.