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

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.大象作为现存最大的陆生哺乳动物，演化出了特化的足部形态结构，以在支撑自身庞大躯体的同时降低运动时的足部压强。本可造成软组织损伤的峰值压强，可通过大象足部的解剖结构被动缓冲，但这一代偿机制对部分圈养个体似乎效果不佳。本研究针对栖息环境以自然基质为主、但足部护理规程存在差异的非洲象与亚洲象，探究了二者足部压强的变化规律。足部压强分布模式的差异，可能与饲养管理的差异相关，包括但不限于足部修削以及大象日常站立、活动所接触的基质类型。两个物种的样本均显示，足部的外侧趾骨区域为峰值压强的最高集中区（该区域在大象中更易发生病变），而足跟周围的压强则相对较低。二者足部的压强中心运动轨迹也较为相似，这证实：当以相近速度行走时，两个物种均在触地瞬间向足部外侧施加载荷，随后在整个迈步过程中逐渐将重心向内侧转移，直至脚趾蹬地阶段。总体而言，本研究发现了足部压强分布模式存在差异的相关证据，该差异可能与饲养管理及其他因素相关，未来需采用覆盖范围更广、可比性更强的样本开展进一步研究。