Unlocking the Mystery: How Asian Elephants Redefine Our Understanding of Trumpeting Behavior

Vocal communication is key for many social animals in the wild. It helps them survive. For instance, a baby’s cry alerts a parent, while a loud scream can warn of danger nearby.

Humans have created thousands of languages—both spoken and signed—to share thoughts and feelings. Yet, we’re not the only ones with complex communication systems. Other animals, like elephants, have fascinating ways to communicate with each other.

Elephants can live for up to 70 years. During this time, their herds often change, splitting and merging. To stay connected, elephants use a rich variety of sounds, ranging from deep rumbles to high-pitched chirps. Most of what we know comes from studying African elephants, but there’s still much to learn about Asian elephants, native to places like India.

Understanding the vocal differences between these species is important. African and Asian elephants are distinct species, each with unique behaviors and habitats. A recent study published in the journal Mammalian Biology explored the vocalizations of Asian elephants, looking at how age, sex, and behavior impact their calls. The researchers found that while the duration of trumpeting calls stayed similar across ages, the roars increased in length as elephants got older.

“Watching Asian elephants is incredible. Their ability to switch between high-frequency and low-frequency sounds makes their communication even more fascinating,” says Nachiketha Sharma, the study’s lead author and a PhD student at the Indian Institute of Science.

The researchers identified four main types of calls: trumpets, roars, rumbles, and chirps. Elephants combine these sounds to send different messages. They categorized the calls into high and low frequencies, based on what human ears can hear.

Trumpets are perhaps the most iconic sound of elephants and are produced by quickly forcing air through their trunks. It was previously thought that trumpeting was mainly for signaling danger, but this study suggests a wider range of contexts, including social interactions and play.

In their research, the team also found evidence of combination calls in Asian elephants for the first time. One such call, the roar-rumble, seems to help maintain contact between elephants or signal disturbances.

The study also examined whether high-frequency calls differ between male and female elephants, as well as among different ages. “Understanding these differences is crucial for deeper insights into elephant communication,” Sharma explains.

The researchers recorded calls in Bandipur National Park and Mudumalai National Park, both home to a large number of Asian elephants. Getting good audio recordings was challenging. The team spent hours quietly following the elephants to avoid interference from background noise.

Over two years, they gathered a wide range of vocalizations from different environments, including grasslands and forests. They noticed that younger elephants tended to produce higher-pitched calls, while older elephants used lower pitches. These differences may be linked to changes in size and vocal abilities as they grow.

Interestingly, the way calves roar is similar to African elephants. These roars are used to get the attention of adults and express emotions, suggesting a universal function across species.

This study is just the beginning. It opens up avenues for scientists to explore the sounds used by Asian elephants in various settings. The team aims to create an ‘Asian Elephant Sound Library’ that will be available for education and research, enhancing our understanding of these magnificent creatures.

Sanjukta Mondal is a science writer with a background in chemistry, specializing in popular science articles and scripts for educational content.

Published February 12, 2025