{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1677"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1677","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Visual and olfactory recognition of familiar humans and elephants by African elephants","abstract":"African elephants (Loxodonta africana) distinguish between familiar and non-familiar conspecifics through olfaction and human ethnic groups through vision and olfaction. We investigated whether elephants recognize individual familiar humans and elephants through vision and olfaction in two captive African elephants. After training, visual recognition was tested over three sessions with three keepers holding a photo array with two photos. Using similar methodology, olfactory recognition was assessed using a t-shirt worn by an individual as the sample above the photo array. Visual recognition of familiar elephants was assessed matching a photo of one side of a familiar elephant to a photo array of two photos of the other side of elephants. Throughout the study, recognition was determined if the elephant touched the correct photo significantly above chance. Results indicate one of the elephants may be able to recognize familiar keepers through visual and olfactory cues due to significant performance above chance in multiple sessions.","abstract_html":"African elephants (Loxodonta africana) distinguish between familiar and non-familiar conspecifics through olfaction and human ethnic groups through vision and olfaction. We investigated whether elephants recognize individual familiar humans and elephants through vision and olfaction in two captive African elephants. After training, visual recognition was tested over three sessions with three keepers holding a photo array with two photos. Using similar methodology, olfactory recognition was assessed using a t-shirt worn by an individual as the sample above the photo array. Visual recognition of familiar elephants was assessed matching a photo of one side of a familiar elephant to a photo array of two photos of the other side of elephants. Throughout the study, recognition was determined if the elephant touched the correct photo significantly above chance. Results indicate one of the elephants may be able to recognize familiar keepers through visual and olfactory cues due to significant performance above chance in multiple sessions.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Perret, Victoria"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Foerder, Preston G.","Ozbek, Irene Nichols, 1947-; Warren, Amye","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:51Z","subjects":["African elephant -- Behavior"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/524","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Foerder, Preston G.","Ozbek, Irene Nichols, 1947-; Warren, Amye","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Perret, Victoria"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2017-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["African elephant -- Behavior"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/524"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Psychology","M. 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Throughout the study, recognition was determined if the elephant touched the correct photo significantly above chance. Results indicate one of the elephants may be able to recognize familiar keepers through visual and olfactory cues due to significant performance above chance in multiple sessions."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Visual and olfactory recognition of familiar humans and elephants by African elephants"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Foerder, Preston G.","Ozbek, Irene Nichols, 1947-; Warren, Amye","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Perret, Victoria"],"dc:date":["2017-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Psychology","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["African elephants (Loxodonta africana) distinguish between familiar and non-familiar conspecifics through olfaction and human ethnic groups through vision and olfaction. We investigated whether elephants recognize individual familiar humans and elephants through vision and olfaction in two captive African elephants. After training, visual recognition was tested over three sessions with three keepers holding a photo array with two photos. Using similar methodology, olfactory recognition was assessed using a t-shirt worn by an individual as the sample above the photo array. Visual recognition of familiar elephants was assessed matching a photo of one side of a familiar elephant to a photo array of two photos of the other side of elephants. Throughout the study, recognition was determined if the elephant touched the correct photo significantly above chance. Results indicate one of the elephants may be able to recognize familiar keepers through visual and olfactory cues due to significant performance above chance in multiple sessions."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/524"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"dc:subject":["African elephant -- Behavior"],"dc:title":["Visual and olfactory recognition of familiar humans and elephants by African elephants"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:51Z"}