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.

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