A recent study has revealed that wild African savannah elephants use over 40 distinct gestures to communicate with one another, signaling intentions such as “move away” or “stop what you are doing.” Researchers conducting detailed observations in South Africa documented a variety of behaviors, including spreading ears or flinging their trunks, which serve as clear messages between individuals.

The study found that elephants do not simply issue gestures indiscriminately; rather, they monitor whether their signals are noticed by others and await a response. If the initial communication is unsuccessful, the elephants persist with additional gestures, demonstrating a nuanced and intentional form of interaction.

Dr. Lucy Bates, a co-author from the University of Portsmouth, described these findings as indicative of highly intelligent animals engaged in complex social relationships. According to Bates, the ability to use such an extensive and flexible set of gestures shows advanced communicative skills previously observed mainly in apes.

Lead author Dr. Vesta Eleuteri highlighted the novelty of the discovery, noting that while diverse gestural repertoires have been well documented in primates, this is the first evidence of similarly sophisticated gestural communication in elephants.

The research sheds new light on the social behavior of one of the world’s largest land mammals, suggesting that elephants employ a diverse range of nonverbal cues to manage interactions within their groups, emphasizing their cognitive complexity and social sophistication.