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. 2024 Oct 2;14(19):2843.
doi: 10.3390/ani14192843.

Serum 25(OH)D Analysis in Captive Pachyderms (Loxodonta africana, Elephas maximus, Diceros bicornis, Rhinoceros unicornis, Tapirus indicus) in Europe

Linda G R Bruins-van Sonsbeek  1   2 , Ronald J Corbee  2
Affiliations

Serum 25(OH)D Analysis in Captive Pachyderms (Loxodonta africana, Elephas maximus, Diceros bicornis, Rhinoceros unicornis, Tapirus indicus) in Europe

Linda G R Bruins-van Sonsbeek et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

This study aimed to detect seasonal and species differences in serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations during summer and winter months in captive pachyderms in Europe. Both elephant species had low 25(OH)D while African elephants did not show a seasonal variation. Asian elephants had significantly higher 25(OH)D compared to their African counterparts but also did not show a seasonal difference. Both rhinoceros species investigated had higher 25(OH)D compared to both elephant species; the Indian rhinoceros had high circulating levels year-round, while the black rhinoceroses showed significantly lower 25(OH)D in winter. Malayan tapirs have very low 25(OH)D, comparable to horses. The higher 25(OH)D of elephants and rhinoceroses could indicate that elephants and rhinoceroses are capable of producing vitamin D. This might indicate that the Indian rhinoceroses are capable of producing enough endogenous vitamin D year-round at latitudes around 52° N, while both elephant species and the black rhinoceros are not. This study also showed that it is likely that both elephant species and rhinoceros species are capable of absorbing cholecalciferol from the digestive tract, according to the existing literature, while tapirs may not.

Keywords: elephant; latitude; rhino; seasonal; tapir; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution in the natural range on a map with UV index and temperature. The African elephant is in yellow, the black rhinoceros in light green, the Asian elephant in orange, the Indian rhinoceros in blue, and the Malayan tapir in purple [13,14,15].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Serum 25(OH)D concentrations in nmol/L from individual African elephant (A), Asian elephant (B), and black rhinoceros (C) during 2020–2023. The numbers of the individuals in the legend correspond with the individuals mentioned in Table 1.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of serum 25(OH)D concentrations (nmol/L) in African elephants (A), Asian elephants (B), and black rhinoceros (C) per season. The bars with * indicate the significant difference between summer and winter values. Suv is summer according to UV index (green), sc is summer according to calendar months (orange), wuv is winter according to UV index (purple), and wc is winter according to calendar months (pink); vitD is 25(OH)D.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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