Acoustic cues to individuality in wild male adult African savannah elephants (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>)

Wierucka, Kaja; Henley, Michelle; Mumby, Hannah S.

doi:10.7717/peerj.10736

Cited by 11 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Finally, we found significant differences in rumble characteristics amongst individuals, supporting previous findings using similar methodologies (Stoeger & Baotic 2016;Wierucka et al 2021). Our frequency 5% was extremely similar to Wierucka et al (2021) and also fit within the range of the fundamental frequency previously reported (Baotic & Stoeger 2017;Poole et al 1988;Stoeger & Baotic 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

The use of vocal coordination in male African elephant group departures: evidence of active leadership and consensus

O’Connell-Rodwell,

Berezin,

Pignatelli

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Group-living animals engage in coordinated vocalizations to depart from a location as a group, and often, to come to a consensus about the direction of movement. Here, we document for the first time, the use of coordinated vocalizations, the “let’s go” rumble, in wild male African elephant group departures from a waterhole. We recorded vocalizations and collected behavioral data as known individuals engaged in these vocal bouts during June-July field seasons in 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2017 at Mushara waterhole within Etosha National Park, Namibia. During departure events, we documented which individuals were involved in the calls, the signature structure of each individual’s calls, as well as the ordering of callers, the social status of the callers, and those who initiated departure. The “let’s go” rumble was previously described in tight-knit family groups to keep the family together during coordinated departures. Male elephants are described as living in loose social groups, making this finding particularly striking. We found that this vocal coordination occurs in groups of closely associated, highly bonded individuals and rarely occurs between looser associates. The three individuals most likely to initiate the “let’s go” rumble bouts were all highly socially integrated, and one of these individuals was also the most dominant overall. This suggests that more socially integrated individuals might be more likely to initiate, or lead, a close group of associates in the context of leaving the waterhole, just as a dominant female would do in a family group. The fact that many individuals were often involved in the vocal bouts, and that departure periods could be shorter, longer, or the same amount of time as pre-departure periods, all suggest that there is consensus with regard to the act of leaving, even though the event was triggered by a lead individual.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

The use of vocal coordination in male African elephant group departures: evidence of active leadership and consensus

O’Connell-Rodwell,

Berezin,

Pignatelli

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Vocal space differentiation could also reflect a personal signature, which could depend on the particulars of the event, like the composition of the group, the role or rank of individuals within it, etc. In an interesting study on social rumbles of wild mature male L. Africana [49], the authors showcased that elephants produced unique vocalizations facilitating individual recognition. They identified 5 spectral features that contributed almost evenly to these personalized variations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study of elephant vocalizations, in a variety of settings and contexts, has been focused predominantly on female individuals and families, while less attention has been given to male elephant groups, as males appeared significantly less active vocally. Targeted studies on male elephants however, are illuminating a yet undiscovered aspect of their vocal repertoire [48][49][50]. Our current study also focuses on male African elephant vocalizations -rumbles in particular.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

WITHDRAWN: Rules of departure: Antiphony and personalized vocal spaces in wild male elephant group coordination

Rantsiou

2024

Preprint

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In the intricate realm of animal communication, vocal signals play a vital role in maintaining bonds and coordinating group activities. Through detailed analysis of low-frequency rumble vocalizations of wild male African elephants, we demonstrate how these calls are employed in a coordinated manner. Our findings reveal a distinct pattern of call-and-response, usually initiated by a dominant male, with subsequent turn-taking responses from other members. This antiphonal calling is instrumental in facilitating collective decision-making and group departures, highlighting a sophisticated level of communication previously unrecognized in male elephant groups. Furthermore, the study delves into the frequency content of these rumbles, finding significant individual variations in vocal characteristics. Analysis of the first two formant frequencies of these calls uncovers a distinct vocal space for each elephant, variable over time and across different social contexts. These individualized vocal spaces suggest a mechanism for personal identification within and across elephant groups, and may also relate to the information content of their vocal exchanges. The vocal spaces and structured antiphony presented in this study underline the complexity of elephant vocal communication and invite further targeted research into the vocal communication system of elephants, as well as inquiry into the cognitive and social aspects of wildlife communication in general.

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“…Beyond localization, this near real-time monitoring approach could be expanded to categorizing sources, thus locating particular animals or behaviours of interest, such as detecting alarm rumbles in elephants. It has been suggested that rumbles contain information on the individual animal and its emotional state [ 1 , 2 , 54 ]. Localization and classification approaches could, therefore, be used to monitor individual elephants, or entire herds, and their welfare across a spatially constrained area using dense arrays.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic localization of elephant rumbles as a monitoring approach

Reinwald

Moseley

Szenicer

et al. 2021

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) are sentient and intelligent animals that use a variety of vocalizations to greet, warn or communicate with each other. Their low-frequency rumbles propagate through the air as well as through the ground and the physical properties of both media cause differences in frequency filtering and propagation distances of the respective wave. However, it is not well understood how each mode contributes to the animals’ abilities to detect these rumbles and extract behavioural or spatial information. In this study, we recorded seismic and co-generated acoustic rumbles in Kenya and compared their potential use to localize the vocalizing animal using the same multi-lateration algorithms. For our experimental set-up, seismic localization has higher accuracy than acoustic, and bimodal localization does not improve results. We conclude that seismic rumbles can be used to remotely monitor and even decipher elephant social interactions, presenting us with a tool for far-reaching, non-intrusive and surprisingly informative wildlife monitoring.

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Acoustic cues to individuality in wild male adult African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Cited by 11 publications

References 47 publications

The use of vocal coordination in male African elephant group departures: evidence of active leadership and consensus

The use of vocal coordination in male African elephant group departures: evidence of active leadership and consensus

WITHDRAWN: Rules of departure: Antiphony and personalized vocal spaces in wild male elephant group coordination

Seismic localization of elephant rumbles as a monitoring approach

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