Welcome to ElephantVoices

Visit The Elephant Ethogram - with over 3000 video clips, sounds and photos
Join ElephantVoices on a Day in Amboseli
Join 345,000 elephant friends on ElephantVoices on Facebook!
Learn more about why elephants are extraordinary
Watch why we should #behavemoreelephants
Help us make a difference for elephants - click on image to Donate Now!
Learn about the intricacies of the social life of elephants
Meet Dr. Joyce Poole, Co-Founder of ElephantVoices
How do elephants communicate? Sight, sound, scent, touch and vibration…
Visit the fascinating elephants in Gorongosa, Mozambique
Learn how to sex and identify African elephants
Meet Petter Granli, Co-Founder of ElephantVoices
Elephant needing your help? Find sound arguments in "Statements & Testimonies"

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The Maasai Mara ecosystem is a living mosaic of savanna grasslands, acacia woodlands, rivers, forests, and iconic wildlife migrations, and Maasai stewardship - and elephants are central to its heartbeat. Between 2011 and 2016, ElephantVoices worked across this ecosystem launching a pioneering citizen-science movement that tracked individual elephants, mapped critical corridors, and helped shape lasting plans to protect the Mara’s connectivity and future. #maasaimara #elephantvoices #elephants #conservation #citizenscience

Celebrating the news that more than 220 elephants were born in Amboseli in 2025. 💛 Thank you to @amboseli_trust for their long-term monitoring of the Amboseli elephants. #amboselielephants #elephants #babyboom #babyelephants #elephantvoices

A tender elephant moment in Amboseli as the whole family pauses, giving this young calf time to suckle from its mother. 🖤 #ElephantVoices #AmboseliElephants #ElephantFamily #AmboseliKenya #ElephantBehavior

Joyce, Petter, Mickey from @elephantvoices and Cecilia of @amboseli_trust recently spent a day in Kimana Sanctuary to learn more about elephant movements in and out of the Sanctuary. We were hosted by @angamasafari where we had a delicious lunch and held very informative discussions with their safari guides. We also met with some of our colleagues from @biglifeafrica including @danielkutata who featured in the recently released documentary, ‘Tusker: Brotherhood of Elephants’. Thank you to @biglifeafrica and @angamasafari safari for all that you do for this ecosystem. #KimanaSanctuary #BigLifeFoundation #AngamaAmboseli #ElephantVoices #Amboseli

On her way to breakfast the other morning, Joyce did a double take as she glanced out toward Ol Tukai Orok. For a fleeting, déjà-vu–like moment, she thought she was seeing Echo. Those long, up-curved, crossed tusks and the knobbly forehead were unmistakably familiar. But no - it was, in fact, Eliot, Echo’s daughter, who now bears a striking resemblance to her mother. This family holds a special place in our hearts, as much of what we know about elephant communication and behaviour has come from long-term observations of their lives. It is therefore especially exciting to see them once again. Elephant ID: @amboseli_trust #amboseli #amboselielephants #ebfamily #amboselitrustforelephants #elephantvoices

We’re back in Amboseli this week together with our newest team member, Mickey (@inside_animal_minds), who has not been here before. It’s been a pleasure introducing him to some of our old friends and colleagues - both human and pachyderm. The park is very dry and the elephants are focused on feeding. Yesterday afternoon we came across Bjorn, on the cusp of musth, and the MA family as they made their way across the dry lakebed. There are quite a few little calves which is always so heartwarming to see. It’s always feels good to slip back into the everyday rhythms around the @amboseli_trust camp - catching up on elephant news and sharing old stories. We are grateful to be here! #Amboseli #ElephantVoices #AmboseliTrustForElephants #Kenya

Esau and estrous female Amparo mate. Esau dismounts and immediately the estrous female begins her Post-Copulatory-Stance, which includes Orienting-Away from the male and Rumbling with her Estrous-Song with an Open-Mouth and Rapid-Ear-Flapping. She also Tail-Swats her mate. Amparo calls three times during this clip. Note that due to the distance at which we recorded this behavior and the windy conditions we have overlapped her calling with Estrous-Rumbles previously recorded from another estrous female. The behavior illustrated in this video is Post-Copulatory-Stance: An estrous female stepping forward from the male she has just mated, Head-Raising, Ear-Lifting, Rapid-Ear-Flapping and Tail-Raising, while streaming with Temporin and calling with a characteristic series of Open-Mouthed Estrous-Rumbles, or an Estrous-Song. The mated female turns, alternatively, toward the male, reaching her trunk to touch his penis (Trunk-to-Genitals) or to sniff his semen (Sniff-Semen) on the ground. The female then turns rapidly outward and upward in a kind of Pirouette (away from the male, perhaps to ensure long-distance advertisement of availability,) and again, head high, ears lifted and flapping vigorously, continuing her calling. Her calls are repeated at lengthening intervals and diminishing sound pressure levels. These extremely powerful and characteristic calls attract the attention of distant males and may be repeated for up to 45 minutes. This video was film in 2020 by ElephantVoices for The Elephant Ethogram. Elephant ID: @amboseli_trust • Want to learn more about elephant behavior? Visit our website www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio. • #elephantvoices #theelephantethogram #elephantbehaviour #knowyourelephants #elephant

Special relationships between individual elephants may begin as calves and last a lifetime. #ElephantVoices #Elephants #SocialInterations

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