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Study reveals elephants call each other by name
Their sheer size, intelligence, and complex social structures have always made elephants particularly intriguing…and now it is believed that they communicate on a much more sophisticated level than expected.
With their remarkable memory, emotional depth, and problem-solving abilities, elephants have always fascinated us, making the findings of a new study all the more exciting: Elephants call each other by name!
Recent findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, have brought us one step closer to understanding, and potentially protecting, these beautiful creatures, with research now suggesting that elephants call each other by name, using unique low frequency rumbles through their mouths and trunks.
The research was done across Amboseli National Park, Buffalo Springs National Park and the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Researchers used machine-learning algorithms to identify and record 470 distinct calls from 101 animals, which were then played back to selected animals using loudspeakers. When specific calls were played to a “friend” or family member, the animals responded more “energetically” than to calls addressed to other animals.
This “name”-like calling likely enhances lifelong social bonds among elephants. A rumble in the jungle, or African bush, now might just have a whole new meaning, and will remain the subject of many studies to come. Visit Seolo Africa for more information.
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