Families and bond groups often split up for hours, days or even weeks or may travel along the same routes, maintaining distances of several kilometers between them. In such instances elephants use contact calls to keep in touch with one another and to maintain coordinated movements. Sexually active males may listen in for the sounds of large groups of females or for the calls of receptive females in their search for mates.

Other elephants may use long distance communication to avoid coming in contact with one another. For example, subordinate families may wish to avoid coming into contact with a higher ranking family if they are not in their home area, and a relatively small musth male may wish to avoid a confrontation with a higher-ranking musth male. By listening in to the calls of others elephants can determine the location, identity and state of the other elephants, thus ensuring they do not come into contact with those they may wish to avoid.