An elephant producing an unusual clicking, purring, humming, or croaking sound of variable duration while they are relaxed and engaged in normal maintenance activities such as feeding or drinking. This behavior is not performed by all individuals. Studying elephants in captivity, in 2003 Leong and her colleagues first reported croaking as a pulsating sound lasting between 1 and 10 seconds. These sounds were produced by several different individuals and were often associated with the sucking of water or odors into the mouth and usually occurred in a series of two or three croaks.
Adult female Gail of Amboseli’s GB family Croaks as she feeds on grass. (Amboseli, Kenya)
