Behavioural differences in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) for novel foods and food types, independent of sensory cues

Different sensory modalities likely evolved in foraging contexts to help animals avoid potentially harmful novel foods that could cause toxicosis. However, which sensory cues animals prioritise when foraging for novel food is highly species dependent and remains unclear for many taxa. In the case of elephants, experimental evidence suggests that olfaction is the primary sense used in foraging and for locating water sources, however this has yet to be explicitly tested in the context of food novelty. In this study, we investigated captive Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ) behavioural responses when exposed to different sensory cues emanating from food. Utilising a presentation experiment, we displayed twelve food items (four types: fruits, vegetables, dried fruits and seeds - 6 novel and 6 familiar) to 8 elephants in 3 sensory treatments: visual, olfactory, and visual and olfactory simultaneously, where elephants were exposed to one food item (novel or familiar) in one sensory treatment (visual, olfactory or visual + olfactory) per trial. We found no differences in elephant behaviours between sensory treatments. However, a significant interaction in behaviour was found for food novelty and for different food types (PERMANOVA, R 2 = 0.006, p= 0.005). Results highlight that this species, in captivity, may show signs of food neophobia/ neophilia and differences in behaviour directed towards the form (e.g., colour, texture) of different food types. This study also emphasises the need for further research investigating responses to food novelty and type independently, in addition to examining the repertoire of behaviours that contribute to the distinction of food-related neophobia and neophilia in elephants.