Ear-Brush

Purposefully brushing a (usually) flared ear against the face, head or body of another.

References: O’Connell-Rodwell et al 2011 [Ear on face & Ear on rear]; Goldenberg & Wittemyer 2018. (Full reference list)

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

Ear-Brush

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (1)

A young male walks toward an adult female (larger than he is) and sniffs her genitals (Trunk-to-Genitals). Simultaneously, an infant raises its Trunk-Toward him and touches him. The adult female Look-Back at him and Touch-Self. He puts his trunk in his mouth to Flehmen, and considers. Then he Ear-Brushes her, in a pushy rather than totally friendly way, and Forward-Trunk-Swing at her x 2 or is this a Trunk-Toward. On the second one a tuskless adolescent (foreground right) raises Trunk-Toward him in a Forward-Trunk-Swing kind of motion, as if she is intervening to help her presumptive mother. It is as if the normally friendly Ear-Brush is compensation for what is otherwise pushy behavior by a young male. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)