ElephantVoices

ElephantVoices studies the behavior and communication of elephants, and works globally to secure a kinder future for them.
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Visit www.elephantvoices.org to learn more about our work.

05/22/2026

The behavior illustrated in this photograph is Climb-Upon: A calf clambering onto another calf or juvenile who is lying down. A calf or juvenile lying down, or getting down on its knees, is an invitation to younger individuals to climb on top. Young elephants enjoy this game of Climb-Upon and, in a big pile, they typically wiggle, squirm and kick out with their legs.
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Want to learn more about elephant behavior? Visit our website www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio.
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05/19/2026

The behavior illustrated in this photograph is Sweep-off-Dirt: Grasping a clump of grass with the trunk and sweeping it up and against the ridges on the underside of the trunk to remove the soil clinging to its roots. Alternatively, holding the clump in the trunk and sweeping is against the chest, between the fore-legs. We are not sure what age this technique is acquired.
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Want to learn more about elephant behavior? Visit our website www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio.
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05/14/2026

The behavior illustrated in this photograph is Waiting: Standing idly, lingering, loitering until other elephants either catch up or are alerted to the signallers attempt to initiate movement; contextually this posture is obvious as the Waiting individual is attentive (engaging in behaviors such as J-Trunk, Eye-Blinking, Ears-Stiff), often glancing back over her shoulder (Look-Back), and/or checking the others' activity by sniffing, listening and looking, and indicating her impatience by taking a few desultory steps and pausing again - Walk-Wait. This behaviour occurs in a number of different contexts.

In a Calf Reassurance & Protection context, mothers and allomothers are often seen Waiting for infants and calves; in a Courtship context, Consorting musth male and estrous female are observed to Wait for one another in order to maintain a certain proximity, to prevent other males from Mating. In a Movement Space & Leadership context, elephants of all age/sex groups Wait for one another to keep the family or group together.
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Want to learn more about elephant behavior? Visit our website www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio.
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05/11/2026

The behavior illustrated in this photograph is Tracking: An elephant persistently following the scent of another, by actively scenting with his trunk, sweeping the ground back and forth and sometimes scanning the air. This behavior is often observed among musth males who may adopt a more directed stride. It may also be observed when an elephant is lost and searching for its family or when an attacking elephant Tracks a person on foot, or a vehicle. Elephants have been known to Track over many kilometres and may leave sweeping snake-like marks upon the ground.
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Want to learn more about elephant behavior? Visit our website www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio.
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05/08/2026

Happy 100th Birthday, Sir David!

I wish I could be with you to celebrate this extraordinary milestone. I remember so fondly our time together in Amboseli during the filming of elephants for The Trials of Life. Especially, when you sat in the back of our open Isuzu Trooper, beside my 200-pound speaker, as we played the calls of an estrous female to a group of males. We watched as they approached, closer and closer – until they stood, expectantly, just meters from you. And you, as ever, met the moment with the quiet curiosity and wonder that has inspired so many of us.

I am reminded, too, of the filming of Echo and your line, “enter Dionysus” as the great tusker made his spectacular appearance.

Your voice, your passion, and your storytelling has shaped generations, deepening our sense of responsibility for this remarkable planet and the extraordinary array of animals and plants that live on it.

With deep admiration and gratitude - and warmest wishes on your special birthday.

Joyce

Image: BBC NHU/Alex Board

05/05/2026

We made this diagram to show the multi-tiered relationships of a female elepahnt's social structure.

Elephants are well-known for their intelligence, close family ties and social complexity. They live in a fluid fission-fusion society with relationships radiating out from the mother-offspring bond through families, bond groups, clans, independent males and beyond to strangers.

Special relationships between individual elephants may last a lifetime, though the quality of these relationships and the structure and degree of cohesion in an individual's social network may change through time.

Like many sexually dimorphic mammals, adult male and female elephants live in very different social worlds. A complex network of bonds between individuals and families characterizes the lives of females and their offspring, while fluctuating sexual cycles distinguish the dynamic activities and relationships of males.

05/03/2026

The behavior illustrated in this photograph is Contemplating: An elephant who is attentively following an event, situation, individual or interaction, or contemplating a sound, smell or object. The very tip of the trunk is often curled under and around in the shape of a J to point in the direction of the object of interest, the fingers of the trunk opening and closing. He or she may monitor the object or subject of interest by Looking at it, Listening to it, or Sniffing toward it (as well as, perhaps, feeling seismic vibrations).

An elephant may be seen to Contemplate the actions of elephants nearby, an object during Object-Play, the bones of an elephant, human conversation, etc. Elephants may also be observed to Contemplate an experience or incident already ended, apparently considering the sensations, feelings or thoughts.
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Want to learn more about elephant behavior? Visit our website www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio.
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05/01/2026

Happy 70th birthday to our matriarch, Joyce Poole!

From the age of 19, you dedicated your life to elephants. Through decades of patient observation, groundbreaking research, and deep empathy, you have revealed the richness of elephant communication, intelligence, and emotion, and helped the world see elephants as individuals, families, and societies shaped by deep bonds and culture.

Your legacy is written not only in science, but at the heart of a movement to understand, respect, and protect elephants globally.

So, here’s to you, Joyce - for a lifetime of listening, learning, and standing up for elephants. 🐘

04/29/2026

The behavior illustrated in this photograph is Ear-Brush: Purposefully brushing a (usually) flared ear against the face, head or body of another.
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Want to learn more about elephant behavior? Visit our website www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio.
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04/27/2026

Elephant calves can be difficult to age, but a useful rule of thumb is this: if a calf still fits beneath its mother’s belly, it is well under a year old. 🐘

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