Advance-Toward

Purposeful, directed walking with hostile intent toward another elephant(s), or toward a perceived non-elephant threat, that typically results in sumissive or avoidance behavior or counter threat. The term includes an Advance-Toward of a single step to a persistent, prolonged and highly aggressive pursuit at a fast walk. The latter often follows an Escalated-Contest when one male has signalled defeat by fleeing.

Advance-Toward may be associated with other aggressive behaviors such as Head-High, Ear-Spreading, or Ear-Folding, Ear-Slap, Ear-Waving, Bow-Neck, Kick-Dust etc.

References: Douglas-Hamilton 1972; Mkay 1973: 63, 65; Poole 1982: 129; Poole 1987a; Moss 1988; Poole 1989a; Poole 1992; Ben-Shahar 1999: 299; Poole & Granli 2003. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Aggressive, Attacking & Mobbing

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (1)

G7 makes a long and purposeful Advance-Toward gm0016 who Orients-Away and Looks-Back while Retreating-From. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (2)

G7 Advances-Toward gm0016. Other males Orient-Toward G7 apprehensively. G7 strides past straight toward gm0016 who first Orients-Toward him, then Backs-Away, turns and Retreats-From. They walk in a wide arc with gm0016 Tail-Swatting to keep track of G7's proximity. After this interaction they begin to Spar. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (3)

G7 joins the Mabenzi family. As he arrives he sees Gogogo in musth and he stops and Look-At Gogogo. As Gogogo Advance-Toward G7 he Backs-Away. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (4)

This young male has just had a confrontation with the same female in which he threatened and Supplanted her. He is briefly distracted by another elephant but then he Advances-Toward her again, while Ear-Folding, Ear-Flapping, and Trunk-Dragging. She Retreats-From and Orients-Away. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (5)

A group of elephants is mud-splashing at a water-hole. The group includes cows and calves and a young male (left). A musth male (right) can be seen to Advance-Toward the mud wallow. Some of the elephants at the mud-wallow stop what they are doing to monitor his approach. The young male can bee seen Listening. As the musth male arrives the young male Orient-Away and Retreat-From. Other elephants in the group also give way. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (6)

Two young males are Sparring. While Sparring is typically playful this bout becomes rough. The male on the right Orients-Away and Retreat-From the male on the left, who adopts a threatening posture with his ears held stiffly forward as he Advances-Toward the retreating male. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (7)

A female is seen to stand Ear-Spreading facing another elephant who is behind a bush. As the elephant, a young male, Advances-Toward the female she Orients-Away and Retreats-From. The young male emphasizes the seriousness of his threat by Ear-Folding and walking purposefully and noisily through a bush demonstrating a variant of Bush-Bashing. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (8)

Matriarch Gina (large adult female on the left) is with her family at a salt lick. A young non-family male is also present - beyond her. It is not obvious that he is being bothersome, but she stops digging for minerals, exhibits a Trunk-Flick-Down and then Advances-Toward him with a slight Ear-Slap. He gives a V-8 Rumble and Retreat-From her. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (9)

A musth male is in a mud-wallow surrounding by females and their calves. A young male has already moved out of his way and is waiting in the right foreground with ears lifted attentively, as he monitors the musth male's position and activity. As the musth male steps out of mud-wallow and Advance-Toward the young male, he immediately Retreats-From. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (10)

Emo in musth (on the left) and Teejay not in musth (right) Advance-Toward one another. When they are about 25 meters apart Teejay stops Heah-High but with a slight Chin-Out posture. Teejay one more step toward Emo and stops again, Foot-Lifting as Emo closes the gap to about 10 meters. Then Teejay turns and Runs-Away and Emo Runs-After him. As they begin to run we see clouds of dust rising from their backs. We hear the sound of them running and their ears flapping and we can hear Teejay give a V8-Rumble.

On the spectrogram we find a big increase in sound between 4 and 20 Hz. Elephants at some distance away would be able to pick up this acoustic signal between 8-20 Hz as well as its matching seismic signal. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (11)

Early in the morning we met Emo in musth seeing off Teejay. Then some kilometers away we found Pascal. Over an hour or more Pascal was Listening and Musth-Rumbling. He seemed to hear Emo and came out meet him. In this clip he Advances-Toward Emo who Retreats-From. Pascal follows him over a kilometer or so. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (12)

Esau Advances-Toward another males who Retreats-From. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Aggressive (13)

Two teenage males walk through a family group in a 'pushy' manner. The one in front is wearing a collar. He Advances-Toward an adult female and Ear-Folds forcing her to Back-Away. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Advance-Toward

Context: Attacking & Mobbing (1)

Adult male, gm0040, Aloisio, Advances-Toward our vehicle. He is coming to investigate us in a mildly threatening manner. He reaches his Trunk-Toward us sniffing, and Stands-Tall while Ear-Spreading. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Attacking & Mobbing (2)

Adult male, gm0040, Aloisio, has climbed up a bank to Attain-Higher-Ground from where he threatens us Standing-Tall , Ear-Spreading. He Advance-Toward us in a kind of lunging movement, and does a Head-Dip and then he stands Monitoring us. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Attacking & Mobbing (3)

G7 Advance-Toward us and Stand-Tall, Ear-Spreading. As he approaches he gives a Head-Dip and Touch-Ground a few times. He towers over us and Sniff-Towards us Ear-Spreading. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Attacking & Mobbing (4)

After much Contemplation adult female, Corajosa, Head-Shakes and Advances-Toward us. Then Stands-Tall facing us and considering us. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Attacking & Mobbing (5)

Musth male, Rui, stands Listening and then Advances-Toward us while Ear-Spreading. He walks to a termite mound to Attain-Higher-Ground and Stands-Tall. Notice how he does a Head-Dip-Touch-Ground before going up the mound. On the mound he stands Foot-Lifting before he does another Head-Dip-Touch-Ground and goes back off the mound. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Advance-Toward

Context: Attacking & Mobbing (6)

Provocadora, gf0012, stands Contemplating us with a J-Trunk. Her calf adopts a Periscope-Trunk as she tries to Solicit-Suckling, but Provocadora has other things on her mind and begins a Purposeful-Walk Advance-Toward us as she initiates a Group-Advance. As she walks toward the vehicle the filmmakers start the car, she pauses, raises her head and continues to advance as she Ear-Slaps audibly. She pauses again and Look-Back and J-Trunk toward the others as if to see whether they are with her and she proceeds toward us with them backing her up in a Group-Advance. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)