A moderately long (~4-5 seconds in duration), very low frequency, distinctive rumble with a characteristically pulsating ‘put-put-put’ or ‘glug-glug-glug’ quality, only produced by an adult male during his heightened sexual and aggressive period of musth. Known as a Musth-Rumble, this call is associated with an increase in the rate of Urine-Dribbling and a particular ear flapping known as Ear-Waving. The calls of individual males are distinctive. Some males Musth-Rumbles are of short duration, while those of others are very long; some have a rolling quality while others are more pulsated, or may sound like water gurgling through a deep tunnel. The ‘classic’ Musth-Rumble is a long, low, pulsated, tonal call with considerable overlaying noise.
Media caption
Tim was grazing with male companions on the edge of Amboseli National Park. He was not in musth but he Ear-Waved at us a few times and these were associated with half-hearted Musth-Rumbles. In this clip he Ear-Waves and gives a short Musth-Rumble as he approaches our car. A few days later he was in full musth and had left his companions in favor of family groups. (Amboseli, Kenya)
