Elephant Behaviour – Playback Research
African savannah elephants Loxodonta africana have well developed communication capabilities and are known to produce vocalizations with low fundamental frequencies that can travel over long distances. These vocalisations are produced in a variety of social contexts including reproductive strategies, group dynamics and individual recognition. As the largest land mammal, elephants have few threats to contend with but humans have undoubtedly proved the most significant life-threatening aggressor due to the economic value of ivory and the increasing human-elephant conflict caused by competition for land and resources. The search for a low cost, appropriate barrier to reduce damage caused by crop-raiding elephants lead to our team to explore the use of African honeybees Apis meliffera scutellata as a natural deterrent.
We study behaviour from elephants previously identified and studied over 20 years by Save the Elephants researchers in Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves in northern Kenya. In order to explore this behavioural concept that elephants might be deterred by honey bees, we have adopted a playback method using a recording of wild, disturbed bee sounds (and other natural threats) and we play those back to our study elephants.
By placing highly sensitive microphones around elephant families as they rest under trees, we can record the responses of elephants to different playback recordings.
This simple yet effective method has enabled us to show that elephants are aware about, and will actively avoid, the threat of African honey bees.
This simple yet effective method has enabled us to show that elephants are aware about, and will actively avoid, the threat of African honey bees.
Bull responding to bee sounds
We have demonstrated that not only do they run away from disturbed bee sounds (King et al., 2007), but our team has also proved that elephants emit a unique low frequency (infrasonic) rumble that warns other elephants in the area to retreat (King et al., 2010).
You must be logged in to post a comment.