Like all highly social mammals elephants have a well-developed system of communication that makes use of all of their senses - hearing, smell, vision and touch - including an exceptional ability to detect vibrations.

Acoustic communication takes a look at sound production and hearing in elephants; chemical communication explains how elephants use various secretions and their acute sense of smell to communicate; visual communication looks at how elephants make use of postures and displays and their sense of sight in communication; tactile communication describes how elephants make use of their sense of touch to communicate.

At one end of the spectrum elephants communicate by rubbing their bodies against one another, at the other end they may respond by moving toward the sounds of other elephants calling, perhaps 10 kilometers away. They convey information about their physiological (e.g. sexual/hormonal, body condition, identity) and emotional state (e.g. whether they are fearful, playful, joyful, angry, excited) as well as communicating specific "statements" about their intentions or desires. In this section we look at how elephants use the different pathways of communication and the actual mechanics of communicating.

You will in the fully searchable database The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior find close to 300 fully described elephant sounds with spectrograms, together with 2,400 educational video clips showing categorized elephant behaviors and behavior constellations and hundreds of images. The below slideshow take you through a limited number of the over 400 Behaviors and Behavioral Constellations included in The Elephant Ethogram - click on any image to find further documentation.

  • Trunk-To-Mouth
    Trunk-To-Mouth
  • Tail-Swatting
    Tail-Swatting
  • Trunk-To-Infant-At-Breast
    Trunk-To-Infant-At-Breast
  • Head-Dip-Touch-Ground
    Head-Dip-Touch-Ground
  • Strip-Branch
    Strip-Branch
  • Maintain-Proximity
    Maintain-Proximity
  • Kick-Back
    Kick-Back
  • Snorkel
    Snorkel
  • Tail-Raising
    Tail-Raising
  • Coo-Rumble
    Coo-Rumble
  • Musth-Temporal-Gland-Swelling
    Musth-Temporal-Gland-Swelling
  • Silly-Trunk
    Silly-Trunk
  • Ear-Brush
    Ear-Brush
  • Roar
    Roar
  • Circus-Pose
    Circus-Pose
  • Sheltering
    Sheltering
  • Solicit-Play
    Solicit-Play
  • Foot-Forward
    Foot-Forward
  • Social-Trumpet
    Social-Trumpet
  • Solicit-Suckling
    Solicit-Suckling
  • Listening
    Listening
  • Female-Chorus-Rumble
    Female-Chorus-Rumble
  • Procession
    Procession
  • Ear-Secretion
    Ear-Secretion
  • Suckle-Stance
    Suckle-Stance
  • Roaring-Rumble
    Roaring-Rumble
  • Head-Raising
    Head-Raising
  • Panic-Running
    Panic-Running
  • Sniff-Ground
    Sniff-Ground
  • Nasal-Trumpet
    Nasal-Trumpet
  • Play-Trumpet
    Play-Trumpet
  • Group-March
    Group-March
  • Ear-Waving
    Ear-Waving
  • Contact-Rumble
    Contact-Rumble
  • Waiting
    Waiting
  • Cadenced-Rumble
    Cadenced-Rumble
  • Chin-Up
    Chin-Up
  • Rumble-Snort-Rumble
    Rumble-Snort-Rumble
  • Mating-Pandemonium
    Mating-Pandemonium
  • Head-Toss
    Head-Toss
  • Protest-Trumpet
    Protest-Trumpet
  • Tusk-Ground
    Tusk-Ground
  • Estrous-Roar
    Estrous-Roar
  • Exaggerated-Walk
    Exaggerated-Walk
  • Mud-Splashing
    Mud-Splashing
  • Husky-Cry
    Husky-Cry
  • Trunk-Twisting
    Trunk-Twisting
  • Alarmed-Trumpet
    Alarmed-Trumpet
  • Phalanx
    Phalanx
  • Trunk-Dragging
    Trunk-Dragging
  • Casual-Stance
    Casual-Stance
  • Perpendicular-Walk
    Perpendicular-Walk
  • Trunk-Bounce
    Trunk-Bounce
  • Bathing
    Bathing
  • Legs-Crossed
    Legs-Crossed
  • Grasp-Leg
    Grasp-Leg
  • Horizontal-Trunk
    Horizontal-Trunk
  • Social-Rubbing
    Social-Rubbing
  • Strip-Bark
    Strip-Bark
  • Sparring
    Sparring
  • Submerge
    Submerge
  • Urine-Dribbling
    Urine-Dribbling
  • Tusking
    Tusking
  • Yawn
    Yawn
  • Drinking
    Drinking
  • Comment-Rumble
    Comment-Rumble
  • Rest-Head
    Rest-Head
  • Touch-Wound
    Touch-Wound
  • Dusting
    Dusting
  • Jolt
    Jolt
  • J-Trunk
    J-Trunk
  • Solicit-Food
    Solicit-Food
  • Kick-Dust
    Kick-Dust
  • Open-Mouth
    Open-Mouth
  • Head-Shaking
    Head-Shaking
  • Begging-Rumble
    Begging-Rumble
  • As-Touched-Rumble
    As-Touched-Rumble
  • Double-Suckling
    Double-Suckling
  • Play-Trumpet
    Play-Trumpet
  • Shepherding
    Shepherding
  • Trunk-To-Genitals
    Trunk-To-Genitals
  • Suckle-Face
    Suckle-Face
  • Let's-Go-Rumble
    Let's-Go-Rumble
  • Ear-Lifting
    Ear-Lifting
  • Bend-Down-Bite-Vegetation
    Bend-Down-Bite-Vegetation
  • Resting-Trunk
    Resting-Trunk
  • Adorn-Body
    Adorn-Body
  • Trunk-Curl-Squeeze-Rip-Grass
    Trunk-Curl-Squeeze-Rip-Grass
  • Sweep-Off-Dirt
    Sweep-Off-Dirt
  • Head-Dip
    Head-Dip
  • Pushing
    Pushing
  • Allo-Check-Tusk
    Allo-Check-Tusk
  • Contemplating
    Contemplating
  • Climb-Upon
    Climb-Upon
  • Standing-Tall
    Standing-Tall
  • Head-Waggling
    Head-Waggling
  • Ear-Folding
    Ear-Folding
  • Musth-Rumble
    Musth-Rumble
  • Rumble-Roar-Rumble
    Rumble-Roar-Rumble
  • Trunk-Sucking
    Trunk-Sucking
  • Trumpet-Blast
    Trumpet-Blast
  • Bow-Neck-Advance-Toward
    Bow-Neck-Advance-Toward
  • Trunk-Sweep
    Trunk-Sweep
  • Kneel-Down
    Kneel-Down
  • Head-High
    Head-High
  • Trunk-Twining
    Trunk-Twining
  • Attain-Higher-Ground
    Attain-Higher-Ground
  • Estrous-Rumble
    Estrous-Rumble
  • Tracking
    Tracking
  • Musth-Walk
    Musth-Walk
  • Bite-Trunk
    Bite-Trunk
  • Guarding
    Guarding
  • Test-Substrate
    Test-Substrate
  • Rumble-Roar
    Rumble-Roar
  • Little-Greeting
    Little-Greeting
  • Rub-Off-Dirt
    Rub-Off-Dirt
  • Grumble-Rumble
    Grumble-Rumble
  • Purposeful-Walk
    Purposeful-Walk
  • V8-Rumble
    V8-Rumble
  • Look-Back
    Look-Back
  • Rear-Guard
    Rear-Guard
  • Helping
    Helping
  • Flehmen
    Flehmen
  • Cry-Rumble
    Cry-Rumble
  • Trunk-Tuck
    Trunk-Tuck
  • Mud-Wallowing
    Mud-Wallowing
  • Pulsated-Trumpet
    Pulsated-Trumpet
  • Bonding-Rumble
    Bonding-Rumble
  • Ear-Spreading
    Ear-Spreading
  • Forward-Trunk-Swing
    Forward-Trunk-Swing
  • Separated-Rumble
    Separated-Rumble