Musth-Rumble

A moderately long (~4-5 seconds in duration), very low frequency, distinctive rumble with a characteristically pulsating ‘put-put-put’ or ‘glug-glug-glug’ quality, only produced by an adult male during his heightened sexual and aggressive period of musth. Known as a Musth-Rumble, this call is associated with an increase in the rate of Urine-Dribbling and a particular ear flapping known as Ear-Waving. The calls of individual males are distinctive. Some males Musth-Rumbles are of short duration, while those of others are very long; some have a rolling quality while others are more pulsated, or may sound like water gurgling through a deep tunnel. The ‘classic’ Musth-Rumble is a long, low, pulsated, tonal call with considerable overlaying noise.

Male elephants tend to Musth-Rumble in specific contexts such as: During aggressive interactions with other males; when approaching a group of females; prior to and immediately after a Mating; when they Rub a tree with Temporal-Gland-Secretion, when Drinking, Mud-Splashing, or Mud-Wallowing, or in situations where they feel challenged. For example, the sound of another musth male, an approaching vehicle or even an airplane overhead is often enough to trigger a musth male to Musth-Rumble. Musth males also frequently Musth-Rumble before or after Listening, when they are presumably responding to distant elephant calls or using calling to search for potential mates.

Musth males most often Musth-Rumble when they are alone, less often when they are in the company of females and least often when they are Guarding an estrous female. Since musth males often Listen after they Musth-Rumble, it is likely that they use Musth-Rumbles to advertize their heightened aggressive and sexual state to rival males and to potential mates. Females respond to the Musth-Rumbles of musth males by Female-Chorusing, so calling may help a male to locate groups of females. Once a male has located an estrous female he may have neither the need nor the desire to advertise his whereabouts.

References: Poole 1982: 50, 51; Poole 1987; Poole et al 1988; Poole 2011. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Advertisement & Attraction, Aggressive, Courtship

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (1)

Tim was grazing with male companions on the edge of Amboseli National Park. He was not in musth but he Ear-Waved at us a few times and these were associated with half-hearted Musth-Rumbles. In this clip he Ear-Waves and gives a short Musth-Rumble as he approaches our car. A few days later he was in full musth and had left his companions in favor of family groups. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (2)

A male in musth pauses as if Listening and then gives a "half-assed" Musth-Rumble, walks on and gives another even more pitiful Musth-Rumble and Ear-Waves. A vehicle has arrived and he may be threatening it. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (3)

Rui is in musth and Mud-Splashing. He pauses in his splashing to Listen - Freezing and Ears-Stiff and with his trunk held in a J-Trunk position. He Ear-Folds and gives a barely audible Musth-Rumble. We can tell he is Musth-Rumbling by his behavior and by the throbbing of his nasal-passages. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (4)

Little Male is in musth. He is with a group with an adult female who is going into or out of estrus. He is interested in her and her urine. Other males in the background are also interested in her.

As the clip begins he walks toward us after investigating her urine Trunk-Dragging, Musth-Rumbling, Ear-Waving and increased Urine-Dribbling. He Backs-Away doing more of the same. Then he stands Urine-Dribbling and Contemplating - Listening and sniffing. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (5)

Little Male is in musth. He is with a group with an adult female who is going into or out of estrus. He is interested in her and her urine. Other males in the background are also interested in her.

As the clip begins Little Male stands Urine-Dribbling and Contemplating - Listening and sniffing. After this pause he comes to threaten us Trunk-Dragging, Musth-Rumbling, Ear-Waving and increased Urine-Dribbling. He Backs-Away Urine-Dribbling and Trunk-Curling. He sniffs his own urine drops and puts his trunk in his mouth. He stands Contemplating. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (6)

Pascal is in full musth and has been Mud-Splashing. As he walks off he Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves and engages in a bout of Trunk-Curling before disappearing from view. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (7)

Pascal is in full musth. He Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves as he approaches a waterhole. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (8)

Pascal is in full musth. He is standing in a waterhole Listening and Drinking. As the clip starts he is Listening, then he Ear-Waves and Musth-Rumbles and then reaches to Drink again. There is another musth male in the vicinity but they have not yet met. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (9)

Pascal is in musth and is mud-splashing and drinking. As he leaves the water hole he walks as if to Foot-Scuff (Note the way his left front leg is stiffened) and he Trunk-Drags, Ear-Waves and Musth-Rumbles at us. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (10)

Pascal is in full musth. He is standing in a water hole Listening. A plane is passing overhead. He Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves. There is another musth male in the vicinity but they have not yet met. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (11)

Pascal is in full musth. He has been in this water hole Listening, Drinking, Musth-Rumbling and Ear-Waving. He has just Tusk-Ground as he stands Listening, ready to get out. As he steps up out of the water hole he Musth-Rumbles, and Ear-Waves again and engages in a gentle Head-Toss. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (12)

Pascal is in full musth. He has just Advanced-Toward me in a Casual-Stance and threatened me with Ear-Waves and Musth-Rumbles and Foot-Scuffing. Now he stands very close and engages in three bouts of Trunk-Suction pausing to Musth-Rumble and Ear-Wave at me. The Trunk-Suction seems to be part of his musth display as it has not other obvious purpose. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (13)

Pascal is in full musth. He has been Listening and Musth-Rumbling in and beside a water hole. Now he has begun feeding. He keeps pausing in his feeding to Listen.

In this clip he pauses to Listen and then Musth-Rumbles. On the spectrogram we see that there is an inaudible call at the point that he is listening. By its shape it looks to be a Musth-Rumble. We know that he is about to meet musth male Emo and it is likley Emo who is calling. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (14)

Pascal is in full musth. He has been Listening and Musth-Rumbling in and beside a water hole. Now he has begun feeding. He keeps pausing in his feeding to Listen. In this clip he pauses to Listen, takes another trunkful and then walks forward Foot-Scuffing, Trunk-Tragging, and then Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves. We know, in retrospect, that he is about to meet musth male Emo and likely knows Emo is close by. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (15)

Pascal is in full musth. He has been Listening and Musth-Rumbling in and beside a water hole and while feeding on grass. In this clip he begins to walk, Trunk-Dragging and Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves. He reaches his Trunk-Toward and sniffs the air. Then he raises it to a Periscope-Trunk. We know, in retrospect, that he is about to meet musth male Emo and likely knows Emo is close by. We are so focused on Pascal that we don't see Emo coming! After Periscope-Trunk he drops his trunk over his temporal glands in a half-hearted Head-Toss and then lets it fall onto his tusk in a Casual-Stance. He pivots 90 degrees and begins a more pronounced Musth-Walk. He has seen Emo. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (16)

A musth male Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves at our vehicle as he steps up onto the road right in front of us. He towers over us Urine-Dribbling. Then he Sashays across the road, gives a musth exhale and another Ear-Waves and an Ear-Flap-Slide as he continues on his way. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (17)

As Pascal walks past our car he Musth-Rumbles, Ear-Waves and Trunk-Drags. He is Urine-Dribbling at rate 7. He shows extreme Temporal-Gland-Swelling and Fresh-4 Temporal-Gland-Secretion. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (18)

Pascal comes out to Wait for an approaching male. As he turns to head back to the swamp he is very close to our vehicle and Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves at us as he walks past. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (19)

Pascal has been Tracking a family of elephants and had paused to Listen a couple of times and to Flehmen. Then he moved on but stopped again to Listen. He stood for a very long time Listening and Contemplating.

This clip starts at the end of his Listening. He begins to move Trunk-Dragging and with a rather stiff gait that we have seen him use before (almost a 'peg-leg' movement with his left foreleg, and then Ear-Waves and Musth-Rumbles and walks on. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (20)

Musth male X004 walks toward Longinye in a Musth-Walk - Head-High, Ears-Stiff, Chin-In and with a purposeful gait. As he approaches our car he threatens us with a Musth-Rumble and by turning to Look-At us. The loud kanunk sound is part of the Musth-Rumble and is associated with a Nasal-Throb. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Musth-Rumble

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (21)

At a small mud wallow X004 in musth spends over 9 minutes in Tusk-Ground as a loud plane passes overhead and several cars drive by. He Musth-Rumbles at least four times and engages in Exaggerated-Foot-Splashing all the while digging his long tusks in the ground. In between these bouts of energy he appears Contemplative, occasionally Listening. Finally he hauls himself up and walks off.

In this clip we show the four Musth-Rumbles. These are very hard to hear especially with the loud plane and cars in the background. Musth males typically Musth-Rumble when displaying at a mud wallow, but they also Musth-Rumble at vehicles and planes. (Amboseli, Kenya)