Ear-Wave

A musth male swings the upper portion of the ear stiffly and vigorously forward and backward. The speed and forcefulness of the swinging causes the lower, unsupported portion of the pinnae to flap even further forward and backward and upward. The motion creates a wave appearance across the ear. Ear-Waving is typically associated with Musth-Rumbling and may serve to waft scent of Musth-Temporal-Gland-Secretion toward other elephants.

References: Poole 1982: 86; Poole 1987a: 294 drawing; Poole 1996: 122; Kahl & Armstrong 2002: 162 photo; Poole & Granli 2003; Poole & Granli 2011. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Advertisement & Attraction, Aggressive

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (1)

Renown big tusker Tim was grazing with male companions on the edge of Amboseli National Park. He was not in musth but he Ear-Waved at us a few times and these were associated with half-hearted Musth-Rumbles. In this clip he Ear-Waves and gives a short Musth-Rumble as he approaches our car. A few days later he was in full musth and had left his companions in favor of family groups. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (2)

A group of elephants is at a mud wallow and a musth male is wallowing. As he stands up he Ear-Waves, Ear-Folding and flapping or waving one ear at a time. Notice that after he Ear-Waves he Freezes and then others Freeze, too. There is no audio for this clip, but based on experience he would have Musth-Rumbled with the Ear-Wave. It looks as though he is Listening to a response to his call and others do, too. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (3)

Little Male is in musth. He is with a group with an adult female who is going into or out of estrous. He is interested in her and her urine. Other males in the background are also interested in her.

As the clip begins he walks toward us after investigating her urine Trunk-Dragging, Musth-Rumbling, Ear-Waving and increased Urine-Dribbling. He Backs-Away doing more of the same. Then he stands Urine-Dribbling and Contemplating - Listening and sniffing. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (4)

Little Male is in musth. He is with a group with an adult female who is going into or out of estrous. He is interested in her and her urine. Other males in the background are also interested in her.

As the clip begins he stands Urine-Dribbling and Contemplating - Listening and sniffing. After this pause he comes to threaten us Trunk-Dragging, Musth-Rumbling, Ear-Waving and increased Urine-Dribbling. He Backs-Away Urine-Dribbling and Trunk-Curling. He sniffs his own urine drops and puts his trunk in his mouth. He stands Contemplating. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (5)

Liaqat is in musth and is Guarding estrous female Ozora who is standing beside him. Titus on the left is hoping for an opportunity to mate with her. Liaqat is Drinking facing away from Titus. We see him Ear-Fold and then he begins to turn toward the camera and gives an Ear-Wave. He stands for a bit and then gives another. We believe he Musth-Rumbled, but the audio is too low to be sure. This is likely a threat to Titus, but Ear-Waving and Musth-Rumbling are also associated with Drinking. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (6)

Liaqat is in musth and is Guarding estrous female Ozora who is standing beside him. Titus on the left is hoping for an opportunity to mate with her. He gives three Ear-Waves while he Mud-Splashes. This is typical of musth males. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (7)

Pascal is in full musth and has been Mud-Splashing. As he walks off he Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves and engages in a bout of Trunk-Curling before disappearing from view. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (8)

Pascal is in full musth. He is standing in a waterhole Listening and Drinking. As the clip starts he is Listening, then he Ear-Waves and Musth-Rumbles and then reaches to Drink again. There is another musth male in the vicinity but they have not yet met. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (9)

Pascal is in full musth. He is moving toward the edge of a water hole where he has been Listening and Drinking. He Ear-Waves and we hear a soft Musth-Rumble over the sound of a plane passing overhead. He stops to Listen. There is another musth male in the vicinity but they have not yet met. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (10)

Pascal is in full musth. He is standing in a water hole Listening. He begins to move toward the edge and we hear a Musth-Rumble and he begins to Ear-Wave. A plane is still passing overhead. He stops at the edge of the water hole to Tusk-Ground. There is another musth male in the vicinity but they have not yet met. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (11)

Pascal is in full musth. He has been in this water hole Listening, Drinking, Musth-Rumbling and Ear-Waving. He has just Tusk-Ground as he stands Listening, ready to get out. As he steps up out of the water hole he Musth-Rumbles, and Ear-Waves again and engages in a gentle Head-Toss. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (12)

Pascal is in musth and is mud-splashing and drinking. As he leaves the water hole he walks as if to Foot-Scuff (Note the way his left front leg is stiffened) and he Trunk-Drags, Ear-Waves and Musth-Rumbles at us. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (13)

Pascal is in full musth. He has been Listening and Musth-Rumbling in and beside a water hole. Now he has begun feeding. He keeps pausing in his feeding to Listen. In this clip he pauses to Listen, takes another trunkful and then walks forward Foot-Scuffing, Trunk-Tragging, and then Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves. We know, in retrospect, that he is about to meet musth male Emo and likely knows Emo is close by. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (14)

Pascal is in full musth. He has been Listening and Musth-Rumbling in and beside a water hole and while feeding on grass. In this clip he begins to walk, Trunk-Dragging and Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves. He reaches his Trunk-Toward and sniffs the air. Then he raises it to a Periscope-Trunk.

We know, in retrospect, that Pascal is about to meet musth male Emo and likely knows Emo is close by. We are so focused on Pascal that we don't see Emo coming! After Periscope-Trunk he drops his trunk over his temporal glands in a half-hearted Head-Toss and then lets it fall onto his tusk in a Casual-Stance. He pivots 90 degrees and begins a more pronounced Musth-Walk. He has seen Emo. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (15)

A musth male Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves at our vehicle as he steps up onto the road right in front of us. He towers over us Urine-Dribbling. Then he Sashays across the road, gives a musth exhale and another Ear-Wave as he continues on his way. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (16)

Icarus is in musth and feeding at the swamp edge. A car is approaching and making a loud low frequency sound. Icarus Listens and Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves and Listens again. We did not have the low-frequency recorder running so we cannot hear the Musth-Rumble but we comment on it in the clip and suggest that he is Rumbling at the vehicle. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (17)

As Pascal walks past our car he Musth-Rumbles, Ear-Waves and Trunk-Drags. He is Urine-Dribbling at rate 7. He shows extreme Temporal-Gland-Swelling and Fresh-4 Temporal-Gland-Secretion. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (18)

Pascal comes out to Wait for an approaching male. As he turns to head back to the swamp he is very close to our vehicle and Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves at us as he walks past. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Ear-Wave

Context: Courtship (1)

Pascal is in musth and is with two estrous females. Amparo, with whom he has just Mated, is ahead of him, and Miranda is following him. Another musth male is near to Amparo. We hear and see Pascal Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves, perhaps as a threat to this male, or to Amparo, and Miranda immediately calls (likely Female-Chorus) overlapping with his call. We can see her Ear-Lifting and Head-Raising. Pascal stands Listening and then adopts a Periscope-Trunk, presumably sniffing the air ahead of him.

Amparo calls - we believe an Estrous-Rumble and Pascal lifts his head and Musth-Rumbles and Ear-Waves. The camera pans left in the middle of his call to reveal Amparo and Qapella calling together Tusk-Clanking and reaching Trunk-to-Mouth. We guess that this is another Estrous-Rumble but it could also be a Female-Chorus. Pascal immediately joins in, his Musth-Rumble overlapping with theirs and another closer voice is likely Miranda. Pascal walks over to Amparo to continue Guarding her. (Amboseli, Kenya)