By Roxanne Reid
We all know elephants have good memories. But did you know that African elephants are so clever that they can distinguish between different human languages and consciously keep their distance from people they see as a threat?
We all know elephants have good memories. But did you know that African elephants are so clever that they can distinguish between different human languages and consciously keep their distance from people they see as a threat?
Man is not the elephant’s best friend, and the animals are particularly vulnerable because of habitat loss and illegal hunting for their ivory tusks. Now researchers in Amboseli National Park in Kenya are discovering how elephants understand and react to the threat man poses. They played recordings of human voices for elephants and watched how they responded.
The recorded voices were played for hundreds of elephants across 47 family groups. In each case, the phrase was the same: ‘Look, look over there, a group of elephants is coming.’
But the elephants’ response was different for different groups of people.
When they heard adult Maasai men – who are cattle herders and sometimes come into conflict with elephants over water and grazing – the elephants became alert and moved cautiously away. If they heard young Maasai boys or women, or even the voices of Kamba men – who are farmers and employees of the park and seldom a danger to elephants – the elephants showed no anxiety.
The recorded voices were played for hundreds of elephants across 47 family groups. In each case, the phrase was the same: ‘Look, look over there, a group of elephants is coming.’
But the elephants’ response was different for different groups of people.
When they heard adult Maasai men – who are cattle herders and sometimes come into conflict with elephants over water and grazing – the elephants became alert and moved cautiously away. If they heard young Maasai boys or women, or even the voices of Kamba men – who are farmers and employees of the park and seldom a danger to elephants – the elephants showed no anxiety.
So the elephants weren’t just avoiding all people, they were being selective about those who posed a greater threat. ‘The ability to distinguish between Maasai and Kamba men delivering the same phrase in their own language suggests that elephants can discriminate between different languages,’ said Graeme Shannon, co-author of a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research also showed that groups with older matriarchs were the most skilled at assessing the threat from the different human groups. This reinforces the idea that learning plays a huge role in elephant behaviour.
For more about this study, see this report by Kerry Sheridan.
You may also be interested in this video showing how elephants react to a recording of lions roaring.
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without written permission from roxannereid.co.za
The research also showed that groups with older matriarchs were the most skilled at assessing the threat from the different human groups. This reinforces the idea that learning plays a huge role in elephant behaviour.
For more about this study, see this report by Kerry Sheridan.
You may also be interested in this video showing how elephants react to a recording of lions roaring.
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without written permission from roxannereid.co.za
