Elephants, especially young males, engaging in gentle touching (e.g. Check-Tusk, Tail-Swatting, Trunk-to-Temporal-Glands, Trunk-to-Mouth) and body contact (e.g. Open-Mouth-to-Open-Mouth, Trunk-Twining), in a playful or greeting context, to more boisterous play (e.g. Bite-Trunk, Grasp-Leg, Grasp-Tail, Grasp-Trunk, Reach-Over, Mounting, Trunk-Push-Down,) to more rough and aggressive play (e.g. Pushing, Tusking and even Ramming). Very rough play may lead to the aggrieved male vocalising with a V-8 call. A bout of Sparring is preceded by Solicit-Sparring or Sparring-Initiation behavior.
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Two juvenile males sparring, engaging in Pushing and Lunging. One bigger than the other. A young female decides that they are being too rough - or perhaps the older male is not part of the family - or perhaps she wants to play - in any case she intervenes. She Orient-Toward them and Head-Shake and then Look-At the older one while Trunk-Sucking. Then she Advance-Toward them and the older male Backs-Away. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)
