African elephants have been discovered to use their own personalized “names” for communication, much like humans.
Researchers at Colorado State University examined hundreds of elephant vocalizations and found that wild African Savannah elephants use distinctive calls to address each other, rather than copying others.
It’s a rare case in the animal kingdom to have individuals recognizing unique calls of others.
In a study led by Michael Pardo, it was revealed that elephants don’t mirror the calls of others to communicate, akin to human naming conventions. Instead, they use personalized sounds akin to names.
The researchers recorded 469 elephant calls, known as rumbles, from groups in Kenya‘s Amboseli National Park, Samburu National Reserves, and Buffalo Springs National Reserves between 1986 and 2022. These calls were then analyzed to identify unique “names” within each call using artificial intelligence.
When the recorded elephant calls were played back, the elephants responded positively to their own distinct calls by returning the call or moving closer. This suggested that elephants use these sounds as a form of name or identity.
It’s fascinating that elephants do not always rely on names for communication, especially across long distances or with calves. However, their ability to create new sounds to distinguish individuals demonstrates advanced cognition.
This type of communication, known as “arbitrary communication,” implies higher cognitive capabilities in elephants, allowing them to think abstractly beyond what is physically present, essential for complex problem-solving.
The study’s co-author, George Wittemyer, believes that elephants’ ability to communicate with names may stem from their similar social needs to humans.
The research, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, sheds light on the rich communication and cognitive abilities of elephants, offering intriguing parallels with human language evolution.