Do elephants call each other by name?

Animal communication strategies - Do elephants call each other by name?

A study suggests that elephants may utilize names that sound alike to communicate with each other within their own family group. As per the research team, who presented their findings in the journal "Nature Ecology & Evolution," an individual within this family group can go by multiple names or just one.

Many animals, according to the scientists, including Michael Pardo from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, use specific sounds to signal for food or predators, which are typically innate. Acquired names such as personal names can extend the communication range and enable cooperative behavior.

Until now, only humans were known to use personal names. Although humpback whales and scarlet macaws interact in a deliberate manner, they do not communicate using names; rather, they mimic the recipient's sounds. Concerning elephants, there might be a distinction.

Intricate social structure

Elephants have a long lifespan, lasting several decades, and maintain lifelong differentiated relationships with numerous individuals. Through their voice, elephants convey numerous details about themselves, like age, gender, and emotional state. They contact one another for various reasons, such as getting in touch with a distant animal, greeting an approaching animal, or providing a nurturing call while caring for, comforting, or waking up a calf.

The researchers examined the low-frequency rumbling and knocking noises made by elephant calves in Amboseli National Park and the Samburu and Buffalo Springs Reserves in Kenya. A total of 469 calls were studied using a machine learning algorithm. The result was that these calls were more commonly assigned to the correct recipient than expected by chance.

Greeted me well

The researchers also observed the responses of 17 African elephants (Loxodonta africana) to calls that were directed at them or at another group member. When addressed directly, they approached the caller more quickly and responded more loudly than when they were called by another group member.

To gather more information about the possibly matching-sounding names and their usage, further research is now necessary.

Read also:

1. The study conducted by researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins suggests that elephants might utilize names that sound alike as a form of communication within their family groups, allowing individual elephants to have multiple names or just one.
2. The findings of this study add to the knowledge of animal communication strategies and challenge the previous belief that only humans use personal names.
3. The use of acquired names by elephants could extend their communication range and enable cooperative behavior, similar to how other animals use specific sounds to signal for food or predators.
4. The intricate social structure of elephants and their long lifespans make it essential to understand how they communicate, as they maintain lifelong relationships with numerous individuals.
5. The researchers analyzed low-frequency rumbling and knocking noises made by elephant calves in Kenya and found that these calls were more commonly assigned to the correct recipient than expected by chance, suggesting a form of communication using names.
6. The usage of possibly matching-sounding names by elephants and their impact on their social dynamics require further research to fully understand the implications of this form of elephant communication for elephant societies in Africa and the USA.

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