Elephants name each other

Wild African elephants address each other with name-like calls, a rare ability among non-human animals,

In a new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution by, scientists at Colorado State University, in conjunction with Save the Elephants and Elephant Voices, used machine learning to confirm that elephant calls contained a component similar to a name that identified the intended recipient, a behavior they suspected based on observation. When the researchers played recorded calls, the elephants responded affirmatively to calls directed at them by calling back or approaching the speaker. Calls directed at other elephants received less reaction.

“Dolphins and parrots call each other by their ‘name,’ mimicking the recipient’s signature,” says lead author Michael Pardo, who conducted the study as an NSF postdoctoral researcher at CSU and Save the Elephants, an advocacy organization. research and conservation based in Kenya. “In contrast, our data suggest that elephants do not rely on imitation of recipient calls to address others, which is more similar to the way human naming works.”

The ability to learn to produce new sounds is rare among animals, but is necessary to identify individuals by name. Arbitrary communication (where a sound represents an idea but does not imitate it) greatly expands the ability to communicate and is considered a next-level cognitive skill.

“If all we could do was make noises that sounded like what we were talking about, it would greatly limit our ability to communicate,” said co-author George Wittemyer, a professor at Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources and chairman of the board. Save the Elephants scientist.

Wittemyer adds that the use of arbitrary vocal labels indicates that elephants may be capable of abstract thought.

Elephants are talkative and communicate with each other vocally as well as by sight, smell and touch. Their calls convey a lot of information, including the caller’s identity, age, gender, emotional state, and behavioral context.

Vocalizations, from trumpets to low noises from their vocal cords, span a wide spectrum of frequencies, including infrasonic sounds below the audible range of human hearing. Elephants can coordinate group movements over long distances using these calls.

The study also found that elephants, like people, do not always address others by name in conversations. Calling an individual by name was more common over long distances or when adults were talking to calves.

The research lasted four years and included 14 months of intensive field work in Kenya, following elephants in a vehicle and recording their vocalizations. About 470 distinct calls were captured from 101 unique callers corresponding to 117 unique receivers in Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park.

The researchers said the new insights into elephant cognition and communication revealed by the study strengthen the case for their conservation. Elephants are classified as endangered due to poaching for their ivory tusks and habitat loss due to development. Due to their size, they require a lot of space and can be destructive to property and dangerous to people.

While talking to pachyderms remains a distant dream, Wittemyer reflects that being able to communicate with them could be a game-changer for their protection.

You can also read: After years of abuse, elephants integrate into a new habitat

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