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