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A group of Asian elephants at a reservoir in Sri Lanka. / Europa Press.
The elephants use what amounts to names to address each other, and the names vary depending on the species of pachyderm, according to a study published on Monday in the scientific journal Nature, based on observations of two wild elephant herds in Kenya.
The study “shows that not only do elephants use specific vocalizations for each individual, but they also recognize and respond to calls directed at them while ignoring calls directed at other elephants,” explained lead author Michael Pardo.
The study “supports the idea that elephants can give other elephants arbitrary names,” the pachyderm communication expert from Colorado State University went on to say in a statement.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists used recordings made by Save the Elephants in Kenya’s Samburu Conservancy and Amboseli National Park.
They used an algorithm to identify 469 different calls, including 101 elephants making the calls and 117 elephants receiving the calls.
Elephants make a wide variety of sounds, from loud trumpeting to whispers inaudible to human ears.
According to the study, the pachyderm, like humans, assigns an arbitrary name to the group member with which it wishes to communicate. It does not do this by imitating the sounds made by the animal it is targeting, as dolphins and parrots do, the study stresses.
The statement quoted the study’s supervisor, University of Colorado professor George Wittmire, as saying the observations about elephants “suggest that they are capable of abstract thought.”
These calls, which are usually uttered in the form of grunts, are more frequent over long distances and in situations where adults are talking to youngsters. Adults are also more likely to use these sounds than youngsters, suggesting that the ability to pronounce these names requires years of training.
The study suggests that elephants’ extreme social behavior may facilitate the development of this communication ability.
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