'Move away' and 'stop that!' Wild elephants use a rich gestural repertoire intentionally to 'mean business'
Wild African savanna elephants use a wide range of gestures when competing with other elephants, according to research from an international group of scientists, including researchers from the University of Portsmouth, University of Vienna and University of St Andrews.
A recent study published in Animal Cognition reveals that wild African savanna elephants use a rich gestural repertoire intentionally to communicate specific messages, such as asking other elephants to move away or stop their actions. The research, conducted by an international team of scientists including experts from the University of Portsmouth, University of Vienna, and University of St Andrews, observed elephants in competitive contexts in South Africa's Addo Elephant National Park and Marakele National Park.
The study identified over 40 different gesture types, made up of 32 individual actions, used by the elephants in these situations. Dr. Lucy Bates, co-author of the study, noted that these findings suggest that gesturing could be a feature of highly intelligent animals with complex social lives. The researchers observed that elephants adapt their gesture modality based on the recipient's visual attention and wait for a response before producing further gestures.
This extensive and flexible gestural repertoire is particularly exciting as it has previously been observed only in apes and a few other primates, highlighting the convergent evolution of sophisticated gestural communication in species with advanced intelligence and complex social lives.
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