History shows that one role of science is to challenge humanity’s self-importance. It has redefined Earth’s place in the universe, repositioning it from the center to a distant outpost. It has reclassified Homo sapiens from the pinnacle of creation to merely another species shaped by Darwinian evolution. Science continually questions the uniqueness of human intelligence and communication, previously thought to distinguish us from other animals.
In the latest revelation, as detailed by Michael Pardo and his colleagues in a recent paper in Nature Ecology and Evolution, elephants demonstrate a form of communication akin to the names humans create for one another. While bottlenose dolphins use unique “signature” whistles to identify themselves and orange-fronted parakeets echo others’ calls, elephants use distinctive low-frequency rumbles not merely mimicking those they address but as specific identifiers.
Dr. Pardo, from Colorado State University, focused on two well-studied groups of Kenyan elephants—those in Samburu, observed by Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s team since 1997, and those in Amboseli, studied since 1972 by Cynthia Moss. Their research has been pivotal in showcasing the intelligence of elephants. Both Dr. Douglas-Hamilton and Dr. Moss are co-authors of Dr. Pardo’s paper.
The “names” described in the study are subtle, embedded in the low-frequency rumbles that are crucial for elephant communication. These calls, capable of causing ground vibrations over long distances, help elephants stay in touch with their group members, greet one another, and are often used by females to communicate with their young in the matriarchal society of elephants.
By analyzing historical recordings from Amboseli and new ones from Samburu, Dr. Pardo and his team examined thousands of calls. They used machine-learning techniques to identify patterns, discovering that elephant rumbles are not only individually recognizable but also receiver-specific. This means a caller’s rumbles directed at a particular recipient are more similar to each other than to rumbles directed at other individuals. Recipients responded more strongly to calls specifically directed at them than to calls intended for others.
Furthermore, the study found that rumbles directed at the same recipient by different callers were more similar to each other than to other calls, indicating that elephants use consistent “names” for specific individuals. This discovery adds to the evidence that elephant intelligence parallels human intelligence in many ways, underscoring the tragedy of their ongoing slaughter by humans, which endangers many elephant populations.
In Kamrup, on July 6, 2024, a wild elephant was seen navigating through floodwaters in Hajo, highlighting the challenges these magnificent creatures face due to natural and human-made threats. This sighting, captured by PTI, serves as a poignant reminder of the urgent need to protect and preserve elephant populations worldwide.
