The Deep Language of Elephants

We know that elephants are profoundly social animals. They live in closely bonded matriarchal packs and communicate with each other through frequent touching, body movements (watch those ears!) and vocalization. We also know that they vocalize much more than previously thought, because they use a frequency that is lower than humans can hear, called infrasound. Once researchers understood this, it revealed the amazing communication of elephants.

Researcher Katy Payne was the first to recognize elephants' use of infrasound in the 1980's. She then started the Elephant Listening Project to expand her work in the wild with the support of Cornell University. By recording elephants, slowing down the audio, and using technical mapping of sound she and her colleagues unlocked the secrets of elephant communication as this video demonstrates:




I love this aspect of elephant life because it reminds us that humans are very limited in our ability to understand the world around us. Just because we can't hear much of elephant communication doesn't mean it isn't there. It is an invitation to be humble as we approach the natural world and to be awed by what we find.

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