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A juvenile male and a calf have been playing. We don’t see what happens but the calf seems to be stuck on its side. A juvenile female comes Running-Toward the calf and with juvenile female Arora B they try to help the calf to its feet Lifting with the forefoot and trunk and Kicking-Back to Lift with a hindfoot. The behaviour illustrated in this video is Helping: An elephant Digging around, Lifting, Pushing or Pulling another elephant to assist it to stand, get up a bank, out of a river or mud-wallow or otherwise help it to overcome some physical predicament. Also observed when an elephant is incapacitated, dying or dead. All age/sex groups, except infants, may be observed attempting to Help other elephants, but this behavior is most successful among older, stronger elephants and most common among adult, adolescent and juvenile females during their care of calves. If you want to learn more about elephant behaviour visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #elephants #gorongosa #animalbehaviour #wildlife #stopthetrade #conservationresearch #wildlifephotography #wildlifeconservation #elephantcommunication #elephantbehaviour #ethology #elephantresearch #animalbehavior #conservationscience #conservationbiology #animalemotions #ethogram

I am in LA as an invited participant in a fascinating meeting held in the historic Bradbury Building by the Berggruen Institute. We are here to discuss Multispecies Constitutionalism - or to put it more simply - to imagine ways to create political institutions that offer representation for more-than-humans. As fits the building our discussions have been rather esoteric, ethereal and academic - now we need to land our deliberations and get down to the nuts and bolts of reality. - Joyce #berggrueninstitute #multispeciesconstitutionalism

The behaviour illustrated in this photograph is Head-Toss: As performed by a musth male, raising and lowering the head or lifting and swinging head and trunk with vigor, sometimes in figure-of-eight movement. This display is occasionally seen in combination with a Trunk-Curl. In its most intense form the musth male bends his back legs and lowers the hind portion of his body causing the head and trunk to be raised even higher. Less exaggerated forms may be observed in non-musth elephants. If you want to learn more about elephant behaviour visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #elephants #animalbehaviour #wildlife #stopthetrade #conservationresearch #wildlifephotography #wildlifeconservation #elephantcommunication #elephantbehaviour #ethology #elephantresearch #animalbehavior #conservationscience #conservationbiology #animalemotions #ethogram #conservationphotography #elephant

This male, together with a play-mate, has just spent 9 minutes standing within 2 meters of our car, studying us and playing with a rock. Standing a bit further away he seems to continue his study of us and consider his experience. He Head-Waggles and Walks-Away toward the Resting group he is with. It is difficult to know which context to put this in but he does appear to be contemplative. The behaviour illustrated in this video is Head-Waggling: Waggling of the head from side to side. This behaviour is observed during Social Play as a component of Solicit-Play and Sparring-Initiation and is associated with Lone and Object Play when an elephant considers an object of play. Head-Waggling may also follow a period of Contemplation, when the behavior appears to be an outward expression of internal thoughts and feelings. Head-Waggling may be observed in all age/sex groups, though most often in younger individuals. If you want to learn more about elephant behaviour visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #wildlifephotography #wildlifeconservation #elephantcommunication #elephantbehaviour #ethology #elephantresearch #animalbehavior #conservationscience #conservationbiology #animalemotions #ethogram

Happy International Women's Day! To us, female elephants represent feminine power; leadership, wisdom, grace, compassion, strength, beauty & dignity - the queens of the animal kingdom. If you want to learn more about elephant behaviour visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #elephants #animalbehaviour #wildlife #stopthetrade #conservationresearch #wildlifephotography #wildlifeconservation #elephantcommunication #elephantbehaviour #ethology #elephantresearch #animalbehavior #conservationscience #conservationbiology #animalemotions #ethogram #elephant #InternationalWomensDay

Female elephants grow in height and weight well into adult life, growing quickly during the first ten years of life and then slowing to between one and two centimeters in height per year. Although growth in height has slowed by the age of a female's first calf there is still potential for a female to gain an additional 50-70 cm in height. Young mothers have to trade-off reproductive effort with their own growth; if they reproduce early they divert resources away from growth and may not be able to provide their infants with as much nourishment as older females. If you want to learn more about elephant behaviour visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #elephants #animalbehaviour #wildlife #stopthetrade #conservationresearch #wildlifephotography #wildlifeconservation #elephantcommunication #elephantbehaviour #ethology #elephantresearch #animalbehavior #conservationscience #conservationbiology #animalemotions #ethogram #conservationphotography #elephant

Today is #worldwildlifeday . A day to celebrate and champion all creatures great and small. Let’s make every day a day to protect wild species.

The behaviour illustrated in this photograph is Begging-Rumble: A single or series of very soft, short (generally 1-2 seconds), tonal rumbles, characterized by an ‘rrrrmmmm’ sound of descending pitch, made by an infant or calf as it begs for food or, more typically, access to the breast. An infant or calf typically initiates such Begging by tagging persistently alongside its mother with its trunk raised in a Periscope-Trunk posture and rumbling. Upon hearing her calf vocalizing in this manner, a mother typically stops with her foreleg on the calf's side forward - allowing her calf access to her breast. This behaviour and associated calling is frequently observed in an elephant family with infants and calves. We refer to it as a Begging-Rumble. Acoustically, Begging-Rumbles are typically flat or slightly descending in frequency, but about a third are modulated, rising slightly and then falling. Generally, Begging-Rumbles are limited to elephants under five years of age, although juveniles up to age seven may give Begging-Rumbles if they are still Suckling. Among free-ranging elephants the vast majority of this type of rumbling is heard when calves are Begging for access to the breast, although calves who are soliciting a share of a food item (e.g. heart of palm, Acacia branch), including from another's mouth, may also use a Begging-Rumble. In captivity, we have recorded these calls from orphaned elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust at feeding time, whether food is a bottle of milk or coconut cakes. If a calf's demands are not met by its mother or care-giver it may escalate to a variety of Grumble-Rumbles, Cry-Rumbles, Roars or Roar-Rumbles. If you want to learn more about elephant behaviour visit The Elephant Ethogram via the link in our bio. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #elephants #animalbehaviour #wildlife #stopthetrade #conservationresearch #wildlifephotography #wildlifeconservation #elephantcommunication #elephantbehaviour #ethology #elephantresearch #animalbehavior #conservationscience #conservationbiology #animalemotions #ethogram #conservationphotography #elephant

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