Behavioral contagion refers to the propensity for certain behavior exhibited by one animal to be copied by another(s) who are - or, in some cases, are regularly - in the vicinity of the original actor. In relation to elephants and in The Elephant Ethogram we use the term specifically to refer to the adoption of isolated, unusual or idiosyncratic behaviors by elephants who are in the vicinity of the original actor - in other words the imitation of idiosyncratic behaviors such as Croaking, Stand-Over-Bush, Truck-Like-Call or to the imitation in close succession of isolated behaviors by other members of the group. We do not use the term to refer to normal group behavior initiated by one and followed by others (e.g. Group-March, Procession, Group-Advance, Group-Charge, Mating-Pandemonium, Female-Chorus, etc).
Gorongosa C family calves are feeding side by side. Watching the littlest calf biting off vegetation, the four year old calf in the middle Head-Waggles. This is followed by a Head-Waggle by the far calf and they begin to play. Although there is no audio on this clip which was originally filmed in slo-mo, the littlest calf would have been aware of the Head-Waggles, and she Head-Waggles, too. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)
