When reuniting with their companions, elephants engage in an intricate display of ear flapping, rumbles, and other deliberate actions and gestures, according to new research. Published in the journal iScience, the study suggests that elephants communicate intentionally and adapt their greetings based on the behavior of others. For instance, they tend to employ visual cues when another elephant is already attentive, while they rely more on touch when attention is required.
The study’s lead author, Marta Eleuteri, a graduate student at the University of Vienna, expressed her excitement at unraveling how elephants utilize their bodies for communication. She highlighted the surprising extent to which elephants depend on non-vocal cues, which have often been overlooked.
While scientists were aware of elephants’ long-distance communication through deep rumbles and their acute sense of smell, they had primarily focused on these senses separately in previous research. Eleuteri and her team took a more comprehensive approach, cataloging visual gestures, vocalizations, touch, and scent-related behaviors, and analyzing their co-occurrence.
The researchers discovered a recurring combination of low rumble noises and ear flapping, which they interpreted as a deliberate greeting. They also observed that the elephants typically made eye contact before gesturing, further supporting the notion of intentional communication.
Commenting on the study, comparative cognition expert Sherrilyn Ball praised its thorough exploration of multi-modal communication in elephants. She noted that the findings parallel human communication, where we often combine gestures and vocalizations to convey messages.
For years, researchers have documented a chorus of greeting behaviors among elephants, but it remained unclear which, if any, were intended as communication. The new study provides compelling evidence that elephants do indeed communicate deliberately, utilizing a sophisticated combination of senses to navigate their complex social interactions.
