Elephants Talk Long-Distance Through Their Toes
“The toes of elephants are so sophisticated that the animals can hear low-frequency rumblings trumpeted by other elephants miles away, say Stanford University researchers.” - Wired Science
Elephants’ toes get the message, study finds
“But a Stanford University scientist has discovered that elephants actually have two distinct ways of communicating: by ordinary soundwaves rippling through the air, and by vibrations transmitted through the ground to exquisitely sensitive elephant toes.” - The Boston Globe
Researchers learn elephants’ secret language
“Male elephants find fertile females, and elephants families stay together, via “conversations” too low in frequency to be heard by the human ear.” - Earth & Sky
Elephants Imitate Sounds as a Form of Social Communication
“Elephants learn to imitate sounds that are not typical of their species, the first known example after humans of vocal learning in a non-primate terrestrial mammal. The discovery further supports the idea that vocal learning is important for maintaining individual social relationships among animals that separate and reunite over time.” - Newswise
Mother Nature’s Voice
“According to National Geographic News, before the waves hit the Sri Lanka and Indian coastlines, elephants screamed and fled for higher ground, dogs refused to go outdoors, flamingos abandoned their low-lying breeding areas and zoo animals stubbornly remained in their shelters.” - Bandera Bulletin
Elephant expert shares story
” For close to three decades Poole has made important discoveries about the intimate social lives of elephants through the study of their communication. Using her in depth knowledge of elephant society she is fighting for their better treatment and protection, building tolerance where there is conflict, and encouraging delight in the intelligence of these extraordinary mammals.” - Idaho Mountain Express
Elephants Call Long-Distance After-Hours
“African elephants have perfected the art of calling long-distance. They make most of their calls at night, when it is cooler and sound travels farthest. ” - National Geographic News
Infrasonic sound, too low to be heard by the human ear, may provide clues for predicting volcanoes, tornadoes and earthquakes
“Scientists have studied infrasound communication among whales and, more recently, land animals including giraffes, rhinos and elephants. Katy Payne, a Cornell University bioacoustics researcher, recently described what she observed among a group of elephants in Central Africa.” - SF Gate
Do Disney’s Real Elephants Have Tales to Tell?
“Elephants communicate with one another in a number of ways, including sound, sight, touch, and scent. But it is the noises they make?a repertoire of rumbles, roars, trumpets, bellows, cries, screams, and snorts that spans almost ten octaves, including sounds that humans cannot hear?that scientists find the most challenging to comprehend. ” - National Geographic News
In Africa, Decoding the “Language” of Elephants
“Poole has found that the elephants use more than 70 kinds of vocal sounds and 160 different visual and tactile signals, expressions, and gestures in their day-to-day interactions.” - National Geographic News
