A single or series of very soft, short (generally 1-2 seconds), tonal rumbles, characterized by an ‘rrrrmmmm’ sound of descending pitch, made by an infant or calf as it begs for food or, more typically, access to the breast. An infant or calf typically initiates such Begging by tagging persistently alongside its mother with its trunk raised in a Periscope-Trunk posture and rumbling. Upon hearing her calf vocalizing in this manner, a mother typically stops with her foreleg on the calf's side forward - allowing her calf access to her breast. This behavior and associated calling is frequently observed in an elephant family with infants and calves. We refer to it as a Begging-Rumble.
Selengei's 6 year old male calf walks along side her in a begging posture Soliciting-Suckling and gives a barely audible Begging-Rumble, which is damaged by a clunking sound. She stops immediately and he suckles. But not for long she wants to catch up with the rest of the group. As she walks on he Ear-Brushes against her. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)
