African bush elephant
Enable an AI agent to recognise an African bush elephant, assess its condition and relationships, and determine appropriate observation, protection or authorised intervention.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 11 findings · 23 questions
Recognition and identity Establish species attribution and continuity of individual identity.
Species boundary
Resolve the registered taxon using explicit evidence.
Bush elephant attribution
Record the combination of anatomical, locality and specialist evidence supporting attribution, including contradictory observations.
- Which visible ear, tusk, trunk-tip and body traits support bush elephant attribution, and which alternatives remain plausible? definition
- Does the supporting record use Loxodonta africana in its current species sense or as an older inclusive African-elephant name? provenance
- What evidence would require leaving this elephant unresolved rather than assigning it to this registry entry? boundary
Individual continuity
Connect sightings without confusing identity with temporary appearance.
Ear, tusk and scar matching
Maintain dated recognition evidence that accommodates changing tusks, wounds and visibility.
- Which ear notches, venation patterns, tusk asymmetries or scars distinguish this elephant in the available photographs? measurement
- Who matched the sightings, using which images or identifiers, and with what confidence? provenance
Body condition and function Assess development, condition and the ability to perform essential activities.
Development and condition
Interpret body measurements in the context of age, sex and observation method.
Condition relative to life stage
Record estimated age, sex, shoulder height and repeatable body-condition observations with uncertainty.
- How were age, sex and shoulder height assessed, and what uncertainty follows from distance or partial visibility? measurement
- Has condition changed under the same elephant-specific scoring method, accounting for season and reproductive state? measurement
Feeding, drinking and mobility
Link anatomical observations to demonstrated function.
Essential function impairment
Distinguish observed difficulty using the trunk, processing food or walking from damage that has no demonstrated functional effect.
- Can the elephant grasp forage, transfer water, chew and bear weight normally in the observed setting? measurement
- Which signs warrant qualified assessment, and what remains unseen rather than demonstrably normal? action
Social and reproductive dependencies Represent relationships and reproductive states that affect the elephant and its associates.
Family and association
Separate repeated social relationships from momentary proximity.
Dependent calves and associates
Record nursing, care, repeated association and separation evidence without assuming that the nearest adult is the mother.
- Which observations establish nursing or care dependence between a calf and a particular adult? provenance
- Which associates could be affected if this elephant were absent, isolated or moved? action
Reproductive state
Record dated reproductive assessments and their evidential limits.
Pregnancy, lactation and musth
Keep observed signs separate from confirmed physiological states and encounter-specific behavioural judgments.
- What observations or examinations support pregnancy, lactation or musth, and when were they made? provenance
- How should the assessed state affect observation or intervention planning without treating it as proof of aggression? action
Seasonal range and resource use Connect elephant movement and activity to accessible resources and landscape constraints.
Water and forage access
Record resources used and whether the elephant can reach them.
Seasonal resource dependence
Connect observed drinking and feeding to dated resource conditions rather than fixed species-wide requirements.
- Which water sources and forage patches has this elephant actually used during the recorded season? measurement
- Is reduced use explained by resource depletion, blocked access, disturbance or insufficient observation? boundary
Passage and landscape effects
Represent movement constraints and directly evidenced interactions with vegetation.
Routes, barriers and foraging effects
Link the elephant to observed crossings, blocked routes and feeding effects while leaving ecosystem-wide conclusions to neighbouring models.
- Which movement records show successful passage, repeated detours or obstruction at roads and fences? measurement
- Which browsing, bark stripping or tree-pushing events were directly attributed to this elephant, and which remain unattributed? provenance
Threats and permitted intervention Translate observed threats and encounter conditions into justified, authorised responses.
Encounter and threat assessment
Assess a particular event without assigning permanent behavioural labels.
Contextual encounter risk
Record elephant behaviour, nearby people, calves, barriers and retreat options alongside evidence of injury or disturbance.
- What was observed before and during the encounter, including distances, calf positions, elephant movement and available escape routes? measurement
- Does the evidence support creating space, withdrawing, monitoring remotely or contacting trained responders? action
Intervention justification
Connect proposed actions to purpose, authority, welfare dependencies and follow-up.
Authorised elephant intervention
Record why monitoring, sampling, capture or relocation is proposed and link to current permissions and qualified operational protocols.
- Which current jurisdiction, permissions and responsible specialists govern the proposed action on this elephant? provenance
- How does the proposal address calf dependence, social separation, reproductive condition and post-action monitoring? action
- What missing evidence or adverse condition requires deferring or stopping the action? boundary
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of African bush elephant this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.LIV
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Desert elephant
What it is Filled
The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living terrestrial mammal, a savanna-and-woodland specialist of sub-Saharan Africa distinguished from the forest elephant by larger body size, more triangular ears, and less densely packed, more curved tusks.
In scope
- Species attribution and persistent identification of individual elephants.
- Age, sex, physical condition and functional ability.
- Reproductive state, calf dependence and social relationships.
- Movement, seasonal resource access and observed ecological interactions.
- Individual exposure to threats and evidence needed to justify intervention.
Out of scope
- African forest elephant and Asian elephant models, except comparative recognition criteria.
- Population census methods, demographic forecasts and species-wide conservation assessments.
- Complete ecosystem, watershed and protected-area models.
- Veterinary treatment protocols, drug dosing and capture procedures.
- Ivory products, trade transactions and wildlife-crime investigations.
- Organisational management plans and jurisdiction-wide legal rules.
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise an African bush elephant, assess its condition and relationships, and determine appropriate observation, protection or authorised intervention.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Compare ear outline and tusk orientation with African forest elephant: forest elephants generally have more rounded ears and straighter, downward-directed tusks; record multiple visible traits and retain uncertainty when views are poor. [African forest elephant account](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxodonta_cyclotis/)
- Inspect the trunk tip: two finger-like projections support African elephant rather than Asian elephant attribution, but do not distinguish bush from forest elephant. [African bush elephant account](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxodonta_africana/)
- Compare shoulder height and overall build only against age- and sex-appropriate references: larger adult size supports bush rather than forest elephant attribution but is insufficient alone. [African bush elephant account](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Loxodonta_africana/)
- Check whether the identification explicitly resolves Loxodonta africana rather than using an older, inclusive African-elephant label; the registry entry excludes Loxodonta cyclotis. [Mammal Diversity Database](https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1000522/)
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Share elephant locations in ways that help poachers.
- Approach, chase, feed or harass wild elephants.
- Assist in trading ivory or elephant parts outside the law.
- Promote riding or captive shows that harm elephants.
Only with a human decision
- Responding to elephants raiding crops or entering villages.
- Moving, darting or culling an elephant.
May
- Monitor elephant movements and health for authorized conservation bodies.
- Warn communities and visitors about elephants nearby.
Moral aspects Filled
- Poaching and habitat loss have cut elephant numbers sharply.
- Farmers living near elephants lose crops and sometimes lives.
Who is affected
- Elephants
- Rural communities near elephants
- Rangers
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody: wild and protected by law; wildlife authorities manage populations.
Master systems
- Species and conservation databases
- Ivory stockpile registers
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q185038 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.african-bush-elephant
- Wikidata: Q36557 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q36557)
Direct properties required Filled
- Species attribution: Loxodonta africana supported; African elephant unresolved; possible mixed ancestry; alternative species supported
- Individual recognition evidence: Links to dated ear-pattern, tusk, scar, photographic, tag or genetic evidence
- Estimated age: Years or age interval, with estimation method and uncertainty
- Sex assessment: Female; male; undetermined, with supporting observation
- Shoulder height: Metres, with measurement or estimation method
- Body condition: Named elephant condition score, score value, assessment date and visibility limitations
- Trunk, tusk and locomotor function: For each function: no impairment observed; impaired; unassessed, with evidence
- Reproductive condition: Pregnancy, lactation or musth assessment, each dated and marked observed, suspected, confirmed or unknown
- Calf and social dependencies: Dated links to dependent calves, mother, family associates or bull associates, with relationship confidence
- Resource access: Water, forage and shade access: available; constrained; unavailable; unknown, with season and location
- Movement and passage: Time-stamped locations, movement segments and links to crossings, barriers or corridors
- Human encounter state: Observed behaviour, separation distance in metres, calf presence, escape routes and incident context
Recognition required Filled
- Very large grey animal with huge fan-shaped ears and tusks in both sexes.
- Saddle-backed outline and two finger-like tips on the trunk.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify or re-identify an elephant through non-invasive observation while retaining uncertainty.
- Track changes in body condition, functional ability and calf dependence across sightings.
- Relate movement to water, forage and barriers to inform habitat-access protection.
- Assess encounter conditions and recommend space, withdrawal or trained responder involvement.
- Flag suspected injury, entrapment or calf separation for qualified assessment.
- Evaluate whether monitoring, sampling or relocation proposals have sufficient evidence, authority and safeguards for the elephant and its associates.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Charges and trampling when elephants are disturbed.
- Crop raiding and conflict with farmers.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, CITES Secretariat.
Context of use required Filled
- African bush elephants inhabit savannas, woodlands and other suitable landscapes across parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
- They are encountered in wildlife observation, conservation research, protected area management and interactions between people and wildlife.
- Their feeding, movement and seed dispersal influence vegetation and habitats, making them important subjects of ecosystem monitoring.
Sources Filled
- pending
- Wikidata item Q36557: African bush elephant - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: African bush elephant - general description of the item
Open questions
- Which diagnostic evidence and escalation criteria reliably distinguish bush elephants, forest elephants and possible hybrids where appearance or historical records are ambiguous?
- Which age-estimation and body-condition methods are validated across the populations, sexes and life stages this model will cover?
- What duration and quality of observation are sufficient to infer calf independence, persistent social association or meaningful separation?
- Which local seasonal baselines distinguish ordinary movement and resource variation from water stress, nutritional decline or disrupted passage?
- Which jurisdiction-specific authorities, encounter criteria and intervention protocols should be linked for each deployment, and how will their currency be checked?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q36557/spec.json