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Vitamin E Levels in Elephants |
Appropriate levels of Vitamin E are essential to muscle function in elephants. Low Vitamin E can lead to muscle weakness and an inability of animals to recover from anesthesia, have appropriate birth contractions and other medical related issues. It is generally considered that elephants should have Vitamin E levels in the blood of around .5 -1.0 micrograms/ml.
Species |
N |
Vitamin E (µg/ml) |
Zoo |
|
|
African (North American) |
223 |
0.47 +/- 0.75 |
African (European) |
57 |
0.33+/- 0.46 |
Asian (North American) |
945 |
0.50 +/- 0.36 |
Asian (European) |
20 |
0.24 +/- 0.16 |
Free-ranging |
|
|
African |
38 |
0.50 +/- 0.25 |
African |
70 |
0.61+/- 0.27 |
Asian |
12 |
0.27 +/- 0.0 |
Asian |
26 |
0.77 +/- 0.05 |
Table found in:
Fowler, M.E., and Mikota, S.K. (2006). Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants. Ames, IA: Blackwell Publishing.
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