Study Shows Elephants use Names for each Other, Like Humans

Researchers at Colorado State University have found that elephants respond to being called by name, using name-like calls to address each other. This behavior, observed in wild African elephants, represents a unique ability among nonhuman animals, according to a new study in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Researchers from CSU, Save the Elephants, and ElephantVoices confirmed that elephant calls include a name-like element identifying the intended recipient using machine learning. Elephants responded to calls meant for them by calling back or approaching, while ignoring others.

Elephants’ Naming Behavior Resembles Human Communication

Michael Pardo, lead author, noted that unlike dolphins and parrots who mimic calls, elephants use names more like humans. This behavior, uncommon in animals, suggests advanced communication and cognitive abilities.

Co-author George Wittemyer emphasized that arbitrary vocal labels indicate elephants may be capable of abstract thought.

Elephants and humans, despite diverging millions of years ago, share complex social structures and communication abilities. Researchers propose that the evolution of arbitrary vocal labeling, naming individuals with abstract sounds, in both species may stem from similar social needs.

“Complex social interactions likely spurred the development of these abilities,” explained Wittemyer, offering insights into the evolution of communication skills.

Elephants are recognized for their rich vocal communication, which, alongside sight, scent, and touch, conveys detailed information such as identity, age, sex, emotions, and behavior.

Elephants’ Vocal Communication and Coordination Analyzed through Advanced Signal Processing

Elephants use a variety of vocalizations, including infrasonic sounds, to coordinate group movements over long distances. Kurt Fristrup, a research scientist at CSU’s Walter Scott, Jr.

College of Engineering, developed a new signal processing technique to analyze these calls.

Working with Pardo, they trained a machine-learning model to identify the recipient of an elephant’s call based on its acoustic features alone.

Fristrup noted the intriguing finding that elephants don’t simply mimic sounds associated with specific individuals they’re calling. This suggests the presence of further descriptors or labels within elephant calls.

Elephants, known for their expressive nature, display clear reactions recognizable to those familiar with them, according to Wittemyer. When researchers played recordings of their friends and family members calling to them, the elephants responded energetically and positively, indicating recognition of their names. However, their reactions were less enthusiastic when prank calls were directed to them, suggesting a lack of recognition.

“They likely briefly puzzled over the playback but soon resumed their normal activities,” explained Pardo, now at Cornell University.

The study also found similarities between elephants and humans in their use of names during communication. Name usage was more common during long-distance communication or when adults interacted with calves.

Elephant Vocalization Study Conducted Through Extensive Fieldwork in Kenya

Over four years, researchers conducted extensive fieldwork in Kenya, following elephants in vehicles and recording their vocalizations. They collected around 470 distinct calls from 101 unique callers, corresponding to 117 unique receivers in Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park.

The researchers stressed the need for more data to identify names in elephant calls and determine if elephants also name other objects they interact with, like food and water.

“Unfortunately, we can’t have elephants communicate directly into microphones,” Wittemyer lamented, acknowledging the difficulty in collecting sufficient data.

The study highlights the critical need for elephant conservation due to their endangered status from ivory poaching and habitat loss. Elephants’ large size requires extensive space and can pose risks to property and human safety.

While communicating directly with elephants is a goal, Wittemyer stressed its potential importance for their protection.

“Living alongside elephants, particularly when they enter agricultural areas, can be challenging,” Wittemyer noted. “Being able to communicate with them could help prevent conflicts and ensure their safety.”

Read the original article on: Phys Org

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