Research on Elephant Behavior

19 Jun 2024

Recently, Scientists have found evidence with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that elephants have their own names that they use to address each other. 

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  • The study, ‘African elephants address one another with individually specific name-like calls’, was published in the journal Nature on June 10. 
  • It was carried out by Michael Pardo, Kurt Fristrup and George Wittemyer of Colorado State University (US), David Lolchuragi and Iain Douglas-Hamilton of Save The Elephants (Kenya), Joyce Poole and Petter Granl of ElephantVoices (Norway), and Cynthia Moss of Amboseli Elephant Research Project (Kenya)

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Key Findings of the Study

  • Role of Artificial Intelligence: Due to their complexity, which often eludes human auditory detection, artificial intelligence played a vital role in analysing these rumbles.
  • Recognition of Individual Calls: The study assisted by AI uncovered that these rumbles include a distinct component resembling names, allowing elephants to identify and react to individual calls.
  • Analysis of Elephant Vocalizations: Researchers analysed vocalisations, primarily rumbles produced by elephants using their vocal cords, akin to human speech, emitted in Amboseli National Park (Southern Kenya) and Samburu National Reserve (Northern Kenya).
  • Unique Naming Behaviour: Dolphins and parrots mimic their own species’ sounds to communicate, whereas elephants are the first non-human animals observed using distinctive names that are not imitations.
  • Vocal Communication: Elephants learn to link specific sounds with individual elephants, enabling them to directly communicate and capture the attention of particular individuals through distinct vocalisations.
  • Social Bonds: Elephants’ social bonds are crucial, allowing them to maintain multiple relationships within their groups effectively.
  • Behaviour of Elephants: Elephants are known for their intelligence, which includes impressive memory, problem-solving skills, and complex ways of communicating. 
    • They use various behaviours—visual, acoustic (related to sound), and tactile (related to touch)—to interact with each other. Previous research has studied these interactions, especially during greetings.

Elephants

  • About: They are  keystone species that play a crucial role in preserving the balance and health of forest ecosystems. They possess the largest brain size among terrestrial animals.
  • Leadership: The oldest female leads the group in foraging for food and water.
  • Reproduction: The gestation period for the breeding pair lasts approximately 22 months, resulting in the birth of a single calf. During birth, female members of the herd encircle the mother for her protection.
  • Grazers: Elephants play a vital role as grazers and browsers, consuming substantial amounts of vegetation daily and dispersing seeds, which supports plant reproduction and growth.
  • Impact on Asian Landscape: Elephants shape the dense vegetation of the Asian landscape by creating clearings in forests, facilitating sunlight access to seedlings and fostering natural forest regeneration.
  • Water Acess: Elephants also dig for water when surface water is scarce, creating access to water for themselves and other creatures.

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Project Elephant:

  • About: Project Elephant, launched in February 1992, is a government initiative supported by the Central Government of India.
    • It focuses on safeguarding and effectively managing elephant populations in states where wild elephants roam freely.
  • Objectives:
    • Conservation Planning: Implementing science-based strategies to protect elephants.
    • Combatting Illegal Trade: Preventing the illicit trafficking of elephant tusks and shielding elephants from hunters and poachers.
    • Preventing Deaths: Implementing measures to reduce unnatural causes of elephant mortality in India.
    • Restoring Habitats: Rehabilitating natural elephant habitats and migration routes.
    • Reducing Conflict: Mitigating conflicts between humans and elephants in shared areas.
    • Managing Human Activities: Regulating human and livestock activities in elephant habitats to minimize disruptions.

 

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