073 – Prof Roger Short – Asian Elephants Part 1
In this episode, which is the first part of a 2 part interview, I talk to Professor Roger Short from the University of Melbourne on Asian Elephants. We discuss what got Professor Short interested in elephants to start with, his quest on finding out why elephants have a trunk, the evolution of elephants and their unusual lungs, and what the biggest threat to elephants are today.
Some images courtesy of Professor Short:
The image from Rudyard Kipling that Professor Short mentions in the interview
A tiny elephant embryo
The tooth of a mammoth
A 100,000 year old tusk of a mammoth, dredged up from the North Sea! Yes, I was privileged enough to hold it!
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October 5th, 2008 at 18:54
[…] Listen in to this episode to hear the first part of the discussion with Professor Short. […]
October 8th, 2008 at 11:00
This is a fascinating interview. I can’t wait to hear the second half.
I love elephants but I don’t know that much about them. I was very surprised to learn that elephants seem to have evolved from an aquatic ancestor.
It is also disturbing to know that Asian elephants are in grave danger of extinction, but not for the reasons most people would expect.
Ginger Campbell, MD
Brain Science Podcast
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:35
I have to reference to this TED lecture about the theory that like the elephant we humans also had an aquatic past. It stuns me as much as what I learnt on this episode about elephants and like this and the next episode of Brains Matter this TED lecture is riveting.
http://www.ted.com/talks/elaine_morgan_says_we_evolved_from_aquatic_apes.html
August 3rd, 2009 at 01:42
Ian,
Thanks for that link – it’s all fascinating stuff isn’t it?