African savannah elephants avoid traipsing up hills, even if the hills have an abundance of food, according to a study that tracked the animals' movements over several years.
Scientists believe climbing hills costs elephants too much energy.
The finding suggests that conservationists must consider topography as they develop plans to protect elephants, said Fritz Vollrath, a zoologist at England's University of Oxford.
For example, migration corridors created for elephants should contain as little elevation gain as possible, running through valleys rather than mountain passes.
"Elephants can't afford to go over passes, so there might be a problem there," said Vollrath, who is also a chairperson at the Kenya-based charity Save the Elephants.
The finding poses a problem, however, because humans tend to settle in valleys, which contain water and good soil for crops. This may lead to potential conflicts between people and the migrating animals, Vollrath says.
And as human populations continue to swell, they are encroaching ever further into the elephants' traditional habitat.
(See an interactive feature with African elephant video, audio, fast facts, and more.)
Vollrath and colleagues Jake Wall and Iain Douglas-Hamilton report their findings in the July 25 issue of the journal Current Biology.
Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell is a research associate who studies elephant biology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
She says in an email that the finding could actually help reduce conflicts between humans and elephants by offering strategies to keep elephants away from human settlements.
"It is certainly worth considering the elephant's physiological limitations in any kind of deterrent plan," she said.
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