Researchers Discover That Elephants Address Each Other By Unique Names Like Humans

Researchers at Colorado State University in partnership with Save the Elephants and ElephantVoices, have discovered that African savannah elephants are able to address one another by unique names in much the same way as humans.

Vocalizations – from trumpeting to low rumbling of their vocal cords – span a broad frequency spectrum, including infrasonic sounds below the audible range of the human ear. Elephants can coordinate group movements over long distances using these calls. 

The study took place over the course of four years, elephants at Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park in Kenya were recorded communicating with each other. These communications were analyzed and run through machine learning to determine what the elephants were communicating.

Researchers…used machine learning to confirm that elephant calls contained a name-like component identifying the intended recipient, a behavior they suspected based on observation. When the researchers played recorded calls, elephants responded affirmatively to calls that were addressed to them by calling back or approaching the speaker. Calls meant for other elephants received less of a reaction. 

The team then played the recordings for an elephant who responded quickly when she heard her name.

Watch as an elephant perks up her ears and responds to a recorded call addressing her by name.

Dr. Michael Pardo of Colorado State University spoke with New Scientist about the machine learning aspect of the research.

Elephants may be the only animals besides humans to come up with arbitrary names for each other, according to an analysis of recordings using machine learning.

More than 600 recordings made by Poole and others have now been analysed by Michael Pardo at Colorado State University and his colleagues.