Like all highly social mammals elephants have a well-developed system of communication that makes use of all of their senses - hearing, smell, vision and touch - including an exceptional ability to detect vibrations.

Acoustic communication takes a look at sound production and hearing in elephants; chemical communication explains how elephants use various secretions and their acute sense of smell to communicate; visual communication looks at how elephants make use of postures and displays and their sense of sight in communication; tactile communication describes how elephants make use of their sense of touch to communicate.

At one end of the spectrum elephants communicate by rubbing their bodies against one another, at the other end they may respond by moving toward the sounds of other elephants calling, perhaps 10 kilometers away. They convey information about their physiological (e.g. sexual/hormonal, body condition, identity) and emotional state (e.g. whether they are fearful, playful, joyful, angry, excited) as well as communicating specific "statements" about their intentions or desires. In this section we look at how elephants use the different pathways of communication and the actual mechanics of communicating.

You will in the fully searchable database The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior find close to 300 fully described elephant sounds with spectrograms, together with 2,400 educational video clips showing categorized elephant behaviors and behavior constellations and hundreds of images. The below slideshow take you through a limited number of the over 400 Behaviors and Behavioral Constellations included in The Elephant Ethogram - click on any image to find further documentation.

  • Mud-Splashing
    Mud-Splashing
  • Open-Mouth
    Open-Mouth
  • Strip-Branch
    Strip-Branch
  • Estrous-Rumble
    Estrous-Rumble
  • Look-Back
    Look-Back
  • Yawn
    Yawn
  • Musth-Walk
    Musth-Walk
  • Contact-Rumble
    Contact-Rumble
  • Ear-Lifting
    Ear-Lifting
  • Ear-Spreading
    Ear-Spreading
  • Submerge
    Submerge
  • Panic-Running
    Panic-Running
  • Rest-Head
    Rest-Head
  • Estrous-Roar
    Estrous-Roar
  • Horizontal-Trunk
    Horizontal-Trunk
  • Tail-Raising
    Tail-Raising
  • Snorkel
    Snorkel
  • Sniff-Ground
    Sniff-Ground
  • Head-Toss
    Head-Toss
  • Forward-Trunk-Swing
    Forward-Trunk-Swing
  • Head-Raising
    Head-Raising
  • Suckle-Face
    Suckle-Face
  • Solicit-Play
    Solicit-Play
  • Casual-Stance
    Casual-Stance
  • Chin-Up
    Chin-Up
  • Shepherding
    Shepherding
  • Tracking
    Tracking
  • Head-High
    Head-High
  • Sparring
    Sparring
  • Grasp-Leg
    Grasp-Leg
  • Social-Rubbing
    Social-Rubbing
  • Rumble-Snort-Rumble
    Rumble-Snort-Rumble
  • Guarding
    Guarding
  • Trunk-Twining
    Trunk-Twining
  • Listening
    Listening
  • Cadenced-Rumble
    Cadenced-Rumble
  • Trunk-To-Genitals
    Trunk-To-Genitals
  • Jolt
    Jolt
  • Head-Dip-Touch-Ground
    Head-Dip-Touch-Ground
  • Play-Trumpet
    Play-Trumpet
  • Head-Shaking
    Head-Shaking
  • Trunk-To-Infant-At-Breast
    Trunk-To-Infant-At-Breast
  • Trunk-Twisting
    Trunk-Twisting
  • Adorn-Body
    Adorn-Body
  • Roaring-Rumble
    Roaring-Rumble
  • Mud-Wallowing
    Mud-Wallowing
  • Rumble-Roar
    Rumble-Roar
  • Trunk-Tuck
    Trunk-Tuck
  • Roar
    Roar
  • V8-Rumble
    V8-Rumble
  • Trunk-Sweep
    Trunk-Sweep
  • Pushing
    Pushing
  • Legs-Crossed
    Legs-Crossed
  • Bonding-Rumble
    Bonding-Rumble
  • Husky-Cry
    Husky-Cry
  • Urine-Dribbling
    Urine-Dribbling
  • Trumpet-Blast
    Trumpet-Blast
  • Comment-Rumble
    Comment-Rumble
  • Kick-Dust
    Kick-Dust
  • Circus-Pose
    Circus-Pose
  • Coo-Rumble
    Coo-Rumble
  • Bend-Down-Bite-Vegetation
    Bend-Down-Bite-Vegetation
  • As-Touched-Rumble
    As-Touched-Rumble
  • Ear-Folding
    Ear-Folding
  • Alarmed-Trumpet
    Alarmed-Trumpet
  • Resting-Trunk
    Resting-Trunk
  • Dusting
    Dusting
  • Musth-Temporal-Gland-Swelling
    Musth-Temporal-Gland-Swelling
  • Flehmen
    Flehmen
  • Silly-Trunk
    Silly-Trunk
  • Foot-Forward
    Foot-Forward
  • Perpendicular-Walk
    Perpendicular-Walk
  • Touch-Wound
    Touch-Wound
  • Pulsated-Trumpet
    Pulsated-Trumpet
  • Phalanx
    Phalanx
  • Allo-Check-Tusk
    Allo-Check-Tusk
  • Bow-Neck-Advance-Toward
    Bow-Neck-Advance-Toward
  • Nasal-Trumpet
    Nasal-Trumpet
  • Waiting
    Waiting
  • Attain-Higher-Ground
    Attain-Higher-Ground
  • Tusking
    Tusking
  • Bite-Trunk
    Bite-Trunk
  • Tail-Swatting
    Tail-Swatting
  • Drinking
    Drinking
  • Trunk-Bounce
    Trunk-Bounce
  • Cry-Rumble
    Cry-Rumble
  • Rear-Guard
    Rear-Guard
  • Sweep-Off-Dirt
    Sweep-Off-Dirt
  • Rub-Off-Dirt
    Rub-Off-Dirt
  • Procession
    Procession
  • Group-March
    Group-March
  • Helping
    Helping
  • Separated-Rumble
    Separated-Rumble
  • Protest-Trumpet
    Protest-Trumpet
  • Trunk-Dragging
    Trunk-Dragging
  • Exaggerated-Walk
    Exaggerated-Walk
  • Female-Chorus-Rumble
    Female-Chorus-Rumble
  • Bathing
    Bathing
  • Kneel-Down
    Kneel-Down
  • Solicit-Suckling
    Solicit-Suckling
  • Maintain-Proximity
    Maintain-Proximity
  • Little-Greeting
    Little-Greeting
  • Suckle-Stance
    Suckle-Stance
  • Climb-Upon
    Climb-Upon
  • Solicit-Food
    Solicit-Food
  • Ear-Brush
    Ear-Brush
  • Head-Dip
    Head-Dip
  • Head-Waggling
    Head-Waggling
  • Purposeful-Walk
    Purposeful-Walk
  • Ear-Secretion
    Ear-Secretion
  • Mating-Pandemonium
    Mating-Pandemonium
  • Ear-Waving
    Ear-Waving
  • Rumble-Roar-Rumble
    Rumble-Roar-Rumble
  • Sheltering
    Sheltering
  • Grumble-Rumble
    Grumble-Rumble
  • Trunk-To-Mouth
    Trunk-To-Mouth
  • Kick-Back
    Kick-Back
  • Test-Substrate
    Test-Substrate
  • Social-Trumpet
    Social-Trumpet
  • Let's-Go-Rumble
    Let's-Go-Rumble
  • Trunk-Sucking
    Trunk-Sucking
  • Musth-Rumble
    Musth-Rumble
  • Double-Suckling
    Double-Suckling
  • Contemplating
    Contemplating
  • J-Trunk
    J-Trunk
  • Standing-Tall
    Standing-Tall
  • Tusk-Ground
    Tusk-Ground
  • Trunk-Curl-Squeeze-Rip-Grass
    Trunk-Curl-Squeeze-Rip-Grass
  • Play-Trumpet
    Play-Trumpet
  • Begging-Rumble
    Begging-Rumble
  • Strip-Bark
    Strip-Bark