Circus-Pose

Lifting and holding the trunk up in an S-shape, similar to Periscope-Trunk, but with upper bend of the trunk resting against the elephant’s forehead. Circus-Pose appears to be an anticipatory gesture - an elephant waiting for something he or she expects to happen. We have also observed Lorato, an individual adolescent female in Maasai Mara, Kenya, adopt this posture repetitively as an idiosyncratic behavior.

References: Poole & Granli 2021. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Aggressive, Attentive, Novel & Idiosyncratic, Social Play

Circus-Pose

Context: Attentive (1)

Marcela, gf0017, of the Mabenzi family stands in a Circus-Pose in an attentive, expectant way. She is being Suckled by a 3 year old. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)