Elephants can call each other by name!
We call each other by our names. These names give us a unique identity and make us feel recognised.
Surprisingly, it has been found that wild African elephants can also call each other by their names. However, their way of doing so is different than ours.
This information was revealed in a study published in the Nature Ecology & Evolution journal.
What’s the process for elephants?
The wild elephants appear to address one another using distinct rumbling sounds that seem to function as their individual names.
Wild elephants use rumbling sounds instead of names like "Niharika" or "Akash."
Imagine it like this: elephants make rumbling sounds like "grrr" or "rumm". Each elephant has a unique rumble that it responds to, much like how we react to our names.
How was the study conducted?
The rumbling sounds are difficult for humans to differentiate. So, the researchers recorded the sounds and used artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology to study and differentiate them.
The study's fieldwork was done at the Amboseli National Park and the Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves, both in Kenya.
The researchers found a “name-like” quality in the sounds the individual elephants recognised and responded to when the call was replayed. This shows that elephants are very intelligent animals.
Still, more research is needed to understand this communication process fully.
