...continued from https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/61188-plants-eaten-by-the-savannah-elephant-in-the-cape-floristic-region-part-1#
UNDERGROUND PARTS OF PLANTS
Trees:
Herbaceous plants:
NON-INDIGENOUS PLANTS (*boles broken and bark stripped and eaten, in addition to the foliage and fruits being eaten)
RIPE/MATURE FLESHY FRUITS (*found germinating in faeces of L. africana)
Indigenous:
Non-indigenous:
MATURE LEGUMINOUS PODS
Indigenous:
Non-indigenous:
Koen (1983) also recorded seeds of Acacia melanoxylon and Acacia mearnsi occasionally germinating in feces of L. africana.
Defensive adaptations in the above species:
Searsia chirindensis has spines not among the foliage but along the branches, which would hinder the gross damage of the shrub by L. africana.(https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/67388304 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62178427 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/96341485).
Scutia myrtina https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102906771 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/92336274 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98495378
Canthium inerme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canthium_inerme#/media/File:Canthium_inerme_-_Cape_Town_2.JPG
Passerina: the 'bark' is so flexible and resistant to breakage that it was used as cordage (rope) (e.g. see http://pza.sanbi.org/passerina-corymbosa). This can be interpreted as a defence against L. africana.
to be continued in https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/61212-plants-eaten-by-the-savannah-elephant-in-the-cape-floristic-region-part-3#...
Comments
Scolopia zeyheri is spinescent in a way suggestive of defence against Loxodonta africana:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/77606331
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68808641
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/75880718
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39618883
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/80472896
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/91625648
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98773347
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70451427
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/99780463
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/76877377
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/82719744
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68644255
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49205406
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35402573
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/48110092
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/43036468
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33316240
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27271740
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25943485
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/18030759
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15476988
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