Context: Foraging & Comfort Technique

Back to Ethogram

Methods or techniques employed by elephants to achieve comfort or to feed effectively on particular types of vegetation or species of plant.

Behaviors in this Context (75)

Adorn-Body

AmbivalentBirthConflict & ConfrontationLone & Object PlaySocial Play
Body: Ears, Head, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Bend-Down-Bite-Vegetation

Body: Body, Mouth
CalfInfant

Bite-off-Dirt

Body: Mouth
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Blow

Maintenance
Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Break-Sapling

3. Other soundsBody: Body, Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Carry

Calf Reassurance & Protection
Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Coprophagia

Body: Mouth, Trunk
Juvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent maleCalfInfant

Dig-Minerals

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Dig-Water

Body: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Digging

Calf Reassurance & Protection
3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Dust-Wound

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Dusting

Maintenance
3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Ear-Swat

3. Other soundsBody: Ears
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Fell-Tree

3. Other soundsBody: Body, Head, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult male

Filter-Water

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Food-Sampling

Body: Mouth, Trunk
Infant

Food-Sharing

AffiliativeCalf Nourishment & Weaning
Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent female

Food-Stealing

Calf Nourishment & Weaning
Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Foot-Splashing

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Grasp-Branch-Bite

Body: Mouth, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Grasp-Branch-Break-with-Foot

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Grasp-Branch-Break-with-Tusk

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult male

Grasp-Break-Branch

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Grasp-Grass-Slice-with-Foot

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Grasp-Kick-Grass

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Grasp-Seedling-Pull

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Grasp-Seedling-Slice-with-Foot

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Grasp-Water-Plant-Pull

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Grasp-Water-Plant-Slice-with-Foot

Body: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Guide-Branch

Body: Mouth, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Head-Toss

Advertisement & Attraction
2. Other acoustic signalsBody: Ears, Head, Trunk, Tusks
Musth male only

Kick-Grass

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Nose-Picking

Attentive
Body: Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Orient-Away

AffiliativeAvoidanceSubmissive
Body: Body
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Pack-Grass

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Pharyngeal-Pouch-Suck

Lone & Object PlayNovel & Idiosyncratic
3. Other soundsBody: Mouth, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Pluck-Branchlets

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Pluck-Leaves

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Pluck-Mushrooms

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Pluck-Object

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Pluck-Seed-Pods

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Plunge

3. Other soundsBody: Body
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Rip-Grass

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Rip-Seedling

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Roll-Tree

3. Other soundsBody: Body, Head, Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult male

Rub-off-Dirt

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Rubbing

Advertisement & Attraction
Body: Body, Temporal Glands
Adult femaleAdult maleMusth male onlyJuvenile Adolescent female+1 more

Scrape-Ground

BirthCalf Reassurance & ProtectionConflict & ConfrontationDeathSocial Play
3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet
Adult female

Scratch-Foot-Sole

Body: Forefeet, Hindfeet
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Scratch-with-Foot

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Hindfeet
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Scratch-with-Object

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Scratch-with-Tail

Body: Tail
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Scratch-with-Trunk

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Scratch-with-Tusk

Body: Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Scrub-off-Thorns

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Shake-Tree

3. Other soundsBody: Body, Head, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult male

Shake-off-Dirt

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Step-On-Break-Sapling

Body: Body, Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Step-On-Sapling-Slice-With-Foot

3. Other soundsBody: Forefeet, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Stow-Branch

Body: Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult male

Strip-Bark

Body: Trunk, Tusks
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Strip-Branch

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Sweep-off-Dirt

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Tail-Fly-Swatting

3. Other soundsBody: Tail
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Tail-Swatting

Advertisement & AttractionCalf Nourishment & WeaningCalf Reassurance & ProtectionCourtshipMovement, Space & LeadershipNovel & IdiosyncraticSocial PlaySubmissive
3. Other soundsBody: Tail
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Thermoregulatory-Ear-Flapping

Maintenance
3. Other soundsBody: Ears
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Touch-Wound

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Trunk-Curl-Squeeze-Rip-Grass

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Trunk-Fly-Swatting

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+2 more

Trunk-Squirt

3. Other soundsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Trunk-Sucking

AmbivalentAttentiveLone & Object PlaySocial PlayVigilance
Body: Mouth, Trunk
Juvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent maleCalfInfant

Trunk-Suction

Advertisement & Attraction
1d. Imitated and Idiosyncratic sounds, 2. Other acoustic signalsBody: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male

Tusk-Ground

Advertisement & AttractionAggressiveSocial Play
Body: Tusks
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Uproot-Forb

Body: Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male+1 more

Wash-Water-Plants

3. Other soundsBody: Mouth, Trunk
Adult femaleAdult maleJuvenile Adolescent femaleJuvenile Adolescent male