Asian elephants change scientists’ minds about why elephants trumpet Premium

In a study published in the journal Mammalian Biology on December 23, 2024, researchers compared the calls of Asian elephants based on their age, sex, and behaviour. They found the duration of trumpets remained fairly consistent across all age classes for both male and female Asian elephants but roars and roar-rumbles got longer with age. 

Vocal communication plays an outsized role in how social animals survive in the wild.

A loud cry from a baby attracts the attention of a parent. A scream can warn others of a predator lurking nearby.

Humans have developed thousands of languages, spoken and signed, to share information, ideas, and emotions — yet they’re not alone among the earth’s life forms in communicating in complicated ways and out loud.

Elephants live long lives, up to around 70 years, and in this time their herds often split and merge. To navigate these changes, these giants have developed a complex system of sounds, from low-frequency rumbles and roars to high-frequency squeaks and chirps, to stay in touch with each other.

Most of what we know about elephants’ use of sounds to communicate comes from studies of African elephants (genus Loxodonta). We don’t know much about Asian elephants (genus Elephas), the species native to India and other tropical and subtropical forests of Asia.

Understanding the differences in vocal communication between elephant species is nontrivial because African and Asian elephants aren’t just distant cousins roaming different lands. They are entirely different species with unique habits, habitats, and adaptations.

In a study published in the journal Mammalian Biology on December 23, 2024, researchers compared the calls of Asian elephants based on their age, sex, and behaviour. They found the duration of trumpets remained fairly consistent across all age classes for both male and female Asian elephants but roars and roar-rumbles got longer with age.