Editing Elephant (section)

====Mating====
[[File:Elephantsmating.jpg|thumb|African elephant bull mating with a member of a female group]]
Elephants are [[Polygyny in animals|polygynous]] breeders,<ref>Sukumar, p. 89.</ref> and most [[Copulation (zoology)|copulations]] occur during rainfall.<ref name="Sukumar, p. 262">Sukumar, p. 262.</ref> An oestrous cow uses [[pheromone]]s in her urine and vaginal secretions to signal her readiness to mate. A bull will follow a potential mate and assess her condition with the [[flehmen response]], which requires him to collect a chemical sample with his trunk and taste it with the [[vomeronasal organ]] at the roof of the mouth.<ref>Sukumar, pp. 98–99.</ref> The oestrous cycle of a cow lasts 14–16 weeks, with the [[follicular phase]] lasting 4–6 weeks and the [[luteal phase]] lasting 8–10 weeks. While most mammals have one surge of [[luteinizing hormone]] during the follicular phase, elephants have two. The first (or anovulatory) surge, appears to change the female's scent, signaling to males that she is in heat, but [[ovulation]] does not occur until the second (or ovulatory) surge.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elephant Reproduction Project: The Estrous Cycle of Elephants|publisher=Smithsonian National Zoo|access-date=8 October 2012|url=http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/ReproductiveScience/ElephantBreedRepro/EstrousCycle.cfm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606110832/http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/ReproductiveScience/ElephantBreedRepro/EstrousCycle.cfm|archive-date=6 June 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Cows over 45–50 years of age are less fertile.<ref name=Kingdon53 />

Bulls engage in a behaviour known as mate-guarding, where they follow oestrous females and defend them from other males.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Poole Joyce H | s2cid = 53150105 | year = 1989 | title = Mate guarding, reproductive success and female choice in African elephants | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222028670 | format = PDF | journal = Animal Behaviour | volume = 37 | pages = 842–849 | doi = 10.1016/0003-3472(89)90068-7 | access-date = 24 October 2018 | archive-date = 24 October 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181024231940/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222028670 | url-status = live }}</ref> Most mate-guarding is done by musth males, and females seek them out, particularly older ones.<ref>Sukumar, p. 113.</ref> Musth appears to signal to females the condition of the male, as weak or injured males do not have normal musths.<ref>Sukumar, p. 117.</ref> For young females, the approach of an older bull can be intimidating, so her relatives stay nearby for comfort.<ref name=Shoshani106 /> During copulation, the male rests his trunk on the female.<ref>Kingdon, p. 69.</ref> The penis is mobile enough to move without the pelvis.<ref name="FowlerMikota2006">{{cite book|author1=Murray E. Fowler|author2=Susan K. Mikota|title=Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oCpiZA61tyQC|year=2006|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-8138-0676-1|page=353|access-date=17 October 2020|archive-date=21 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321084756/https://books.google.com/books?id=oCpiZA61tyQC&q=elephant+penis+mating&pg=PA353|url-status=live}}</ref> Before mounting, it curves forward and upward. Copulation lasts about 45 seconds and does not involve [[pelvic thrust]]ing or an ejaculatory pause.<ref name=Estes>{{cite book|author=Estes, R.|title=The behavior guide to African mammals: including hoofed mammals, carnivores, primates|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0520080858|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_0520080858/page/263 263–266]|year=1991|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-08085-0}}</ref>

[[Homosexual behavior in animals#Elephants|Homosexual behaviour]] has been observed in both sexes. As in heterosexual interactions, this involves mounting. Male elephants sometimes stimulate each other by playfighting, and "championships" may form between old bulls and younger males. Female same-sex behaviours have been documented only in captivity, where they engage in [[Animal sexual behaviour#Autoeroticism or masturbation|mutual masturbation]] with their trunks.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bagemihl, B.|year=1999|title=Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity|url=https://archive.org/details/biologicalexuber00bage|url-access=registration|publisher=St. Martin's Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/biologicalexuber00bage/page/427 427–430]|isbn=978-1-4668-0927-7}}</ref>