African elephants can change the greeting ritual, depending on the behavior of their interlocutor. Scientists came to this interesting conclusion in a study published May 8 in the journal Communications Biology.
The scientists analyzed 89 greetings that occurred between elephants living in the Jafuta Game Reserve in Zimbabwe. During the study, 1,014 physical actions and 268 vocalizations were recorded.
Previous research has shown that elephants can greet each other by making sounds or waves, flapping their ears, waving their trunks, or touching each other. The authors note that these behaviors can promote individual recognition and social connection, but until now it was unclear to what extent these actions were used intentionally to communicate with other human beings.
As part of the work, the scientists discovered that the animals greeted each other with certain combinations of vocalizations and gestures. Barrits, accompanied by movements of the ears, were the most common form of greeting, especially among women. The researchers also suggest that bodily secretions, present in 71 percent of interactions, may play a central role in social individuation through the involvement of smell.
At the same time, the experts reported, visual gestures were more frequent when the interlocutor was looking, while noisy behaviors such as ear movements or vocalizations occurred to attract the attention of another sample. These results, the scientists comment, suggest that elephants greet their conspecifics through a combination of actions and sounds, deliberately choosing to adjust their behavior according to the context.
Similar abilities have been documented in chimpanzees and other primates. The scientists concluded that such abilities may have evolved independently across species to mediate social interactions.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.