A short (1-2 seconds in duration) rumble made by an infant or calf when approached and or touched in a caring way by an older member of its family. This rumble has a rising and falling 'aauurrrrr' quality and is typically soft and tonal, though may sometimes be louder and more noisy. We refer to rumbles given in this context as As-Touched-Rumbles. The calling infant or calf engages Head-Raising and Ear-Lifting as it calls, behavior that is comparable to that exhibited by older individuals in the context of a Little-Greeting-Rumble and the quality of the As-Touched-Rumble is also similar.
This is part of Big Mama's family. As the clip begins an adult female moves forward to feed on a bush. Her one year female calf goes behind her and leans on her hind leg as an allomother looks on and touches the calf. The calf walks forward and as she is touched by another adolescent female she Head-Raises, Ear-Flaps and gives a loud As-Touched-Rumble, which seems to be answered by another elephant out of view. The adolescent female engages in Head-Raising and Ear-Lifting.
This is the age when we believe that As-Touched-Rumbles begin to transition into Little-Greeting-Rumbles - for this reason we have included this clip under both categories. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)
