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  3. Greeting-Ceremony

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Greeting-Ceremony

During a Greeting-Ceremony members of a family or bond group may rush to meet one another while emitting loud, modulated, throaty Greeting-Rumbles, and, sometimes, Social-Trumpets and Roars. The elephants raise their heads, lift and spread their ears, secreting Temporin profusely. As they meet they flap their lifted ears rapidly, while still Rumbling, Trumpeting and Roaring. Rubbing together they may stand in parallel, or face-to-face, and while holding heads high, Open-Mouth-to-Open-Mouth they may click their tusks together and entwine trunks. As the greeting continues they may back into one another, Pirouetting, Urinating and Defecating.

Media caption

Two groups that have been in the vicinity of one another come together. We see Matriarch gf0070 adopt a Waiting posture, her Chin-Out expectant as the other family approaches. At that point we don't know if they are close associates or not.

As they come close she moves towards them and they Greet. We can see Rapid-Ear-Flapping, Ear-Folding, Trunk-to-Mouth and Trunk-to-Genitals. This is a Greeting-Ceremony, although based on their behavior we suspect that they are from the same clan but not the same family or close bond-group. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Other examples of the behavior