Over many years of studying animals ethologists learn to read the faces and postures of their subjects through a combination of experience and intuition. We unconsciously use this information whenever we're with elephants without really thinking about it. We know, for example, whether an elephant is frightened, annoyed, excited, or joyful, but attempting to quantify this "sixth sense" into a presentation for others was an elucidating and sometimes surprising process!

The visual and tactile signals, displays, postures, expressions and gestures described and illustrated in ElephantVoices Gestures Database have been compiled over months and years. We believe you will enjoy visiting it! You can read more about the work with and background of the database here.