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A young male appears to be following a trail of someone and Trunk-Flick x 3. The behavior illustrated in this video is Trunk-Flick-Down: In a rapid movement, the distal portion of the trunk is curled up and around in a whorl and then flicked downward. Sometimes the whorl is omitted and only the flick-down is exhibited. Often associated with an exhale of breath. We do not have enough information on the contexts in which this behavior occurs, although we believe that it may be related to scenting and/or ambivalence. This short video from Maasai Mara, Kenya is part of The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

We’d love to hear from you: #MyElephantMoment What moment made elephants matter to you? Was it the first time you saw an elephant in the wild? A childhood memory? A documentary, book, or story that sparked your love for these magnificent animals? Please share your story, memory, or motivation in the comments below, or post a photo or video using #MyElephantMoment and tag us. Your shared moments can inspire other people to care about protecting elephants. #ElephantVoices #MyElephantMoment

A female with assymetrical tusks is coming into estrus and is being followed by a medium sized male who is testing her Trunk-to-Genitals. While we have often observed a male put the tip of his trunk inside a female's genitals, we have not documented a male so actively do so with such an audible sucking sound. After doing this several times the male stands engaged in Trunk-Suction and then gives a vigorous spray - as if emptying all that he had sucked into his trunk from the female's genitalia. The behavior illustrated in this video is Trunk-Suction: Apparently blocking the end of the trunk and then forcefully sucking or blowing air into the sinues such that the sides of the trunk collapse inward or bulge outward, as if a vaccum of sorts has been created. An audible sound may sometimes be heard as air is moved about in the nasal passages. Two examples we have are of musth males where this behavior seems to be part of a display and perhaps a prelude to a Musth-Rumble, while another is a male who has been engaged in elaborate testing of a female that involved putting his trunk inside her vagina and sucking. It is possible that this is what elephants are doing when they make the sound we call a Squelch. This short video from Amboseli, Kenya was filmed in 2020 and is part of The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

In this image, a male elephant crosses the western extension of Longinye Swamp at sunset. In the early 1990s, the Longinye Swamp changed course, spilling onto the alkaline pan between The Elephant Camp and the old Amboseli Lodge. This shift created a new, shallow lake that, due to the alkaline soil, attracted a permanent colony of flamingos. When the causeway was constructed in the early '90s, it provided tourists with a unique opportunity to view the thriving birdlife in this wetland. #ElephantVoices #AmboseliNationalPark #AmboseliElephants #Kenya

A musth male doggedly guards a young, estrous female. Whenever we share images or videos of young females in consort with large musth males, it prompts concerned comments like

An adolescent male is pretending to be tough. He approaches the filmmakers Foot-Scuffing and making extra noise by walking over vegetation. As he gets very close he Pirouettes and then faces them Eyes-Wide and gives a Head-Dip. He Looks-At the filmmakers and Head-Dips and then walks away making more noise in the vegetation. The behavior illustrated in this video is Pirouette: Spinning or pivoting around, so as to turn rapidly toward and away from others. Pirouetting may be displayed by highly aroused individuals during exuberant Social Play or between adult and adolescent females during intense Affiliative or Coalition Building events or other Bonding behavior (such as Greeting-Ceremonies), when relatives come together in a close cluster Head-Raising, Ear-Lifting and Rapid-Ear-Flapping, vocalizing, Urinating and Defecating. Pirouetting is likely an extreme form of Reach-Touch where elephants may turn rapidly to reach out to with their trunks to closely bonded companions. This short video from Maasai Mara, Kenya is part of The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

Have you ever noticed the course hairs on an elephant's trunk? 🐘 While not immediately obvious on their large bodies, these sparse hairs play an important role in an elephant’s tactile sense. Each of the whisker hair follicles on an elephant’s trunk is highly innervated and there are many such whiskers, particularly on the trunk tip. Each whisker is innervated by multiple nerves comprised of numerous axons. The trunk's remarkable sensitivity, combined with its tactile hairs, makes it one of the most versatile and highly specialized organs in the animal kingdom. #elephantfacts #elephants

The NDs have been at a mud wallow with Pascal in musth. Nine year old Nastya in estrus has been off separately being followed around by males. As she arrives at the mud wallow a female closely allied to her Head-Shakes and moves toward her. They both Head-Raise, Ear-Lift and give Greeting-Rumbles to one another. The older female reaches Trunk-to-Genitals to Nastya. The behavior illustrated in this video is Greeting-Rumble: An explosive burst of long (~5-7 seconds) powerful, throaty, highly modulated and overlapping rumbles when members of a social group come together after a period of more prolonged separation. We refer to these calls as Greeting-Rumbles. Typically, participants approach one another face to face and then, when they meet one another, may turn or Pirouette to stand in parallel while Head-Raising, Ear-Lifting, and streaming with Temporin. Audible Rapid-Ear-Flapping may be heard as the calling continues and the participants may Urinate and Defecate, and may engage in Tusk-Clicking, Open-Mouth-to-Open-Mouth, High-Fiving and reciprocal Trunk-to-Mouth. After the initial explosive greeting, an exchange of lower intensity and less modulated Rumbles continues as the greeting proceeds. Elephant ID: @amboseli_trust This short video from Amboseli, Kenya was filmed in 2020 and is part of The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

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