This is a good question and one for which we are still searching for an answer. At this stage we would guess that while there may be differences, at least some calls are hardwired. For instance, calls recorded in Amboseli from  estrous females elicit the same response from sexually active males in Namibia as they do when they are played back to sexually active males in Amboseli: rapid movement toward the speaker.

It is certainly true, however, that the calling rate of particular vocalizations varies from population to population and even family to family. This is because the availability of resources and the presence of threats vary in different populations, with the result that elephants communicate more or less about particular themes. In the Maasai Mara, where salt is in limited supply, elephants make more complaining and competitive calls than in Amboseli where salt in not limited. And in families with newborn calves a larger variety and number of calls are heard than in families without young calves.