Sexual behavior elephants

Vyas, D. (2006) Sexually dimorphic developmental patterns of chemosensory behaviors in African elephants (Loxodonta africana). M.Sc. thesis, Georgia Southern University. 

The isolated boar ketones, 5a-androst-16-en-3a-ol (androstenol) and androst-16-en-3-one (androstenone) secreted by the sub-maxillary gland, have a direct effect on the sexual receptivity of the sow and are used commercially to assist in artificial insemination (14). The fact that estrus can be determined in the sow by her response to these compounds suggests that there is a heightened acuity for these compounds at the time of ovulation. This is similar to the increase in olfactory acuity for certain compounds noted in human females prior to ovulation (15). A somewhat unique but analogous situation is the elephant temporal gland which is an apocrine gland that is active under stress and possesses an elephanty odor (16). Table III summarizes some of the mammalian communication systems that have been studied and the chemicals which have been found to have behavioral effects. 

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