Foot-Swinging

Raising and tentatively swinging a foreleg, intermittently. Swinging of a hind-foot may also be observed although this is less common than a forefoot. Individuals in all age sex groups may engage in Foot-Swinging in Submissive, Ambivalent and Conflict & Confrontation contexts when unsure of what action to take, as in Displacement-Behavior. Likewise, all age sex groups may engage in Foot-Swinging in Attentive and Vigilance contexts as seen during Freezing behavior, when elephants may be feeling for or picking up seismic vibrations. In a Movement Space and Leadership context Foot-Swinging is observed among adult females as a signal of intention - i.e. an Intention-Movement - for example, as a component of the Let’s-Go-Stance. In the latter swinging of the hind foot is not observed.

References: Douglas-Hamilton 1972: ch 6; Moss 1988; Poole 1999a; Poole & Granli 2003; Poole & Granli 2011. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Ambivalent, Attentive, Conflict & Confrontation, Movement, Space & Leadership, Vigilance

Foot-Swinging

Context: Attentive (1)

Rui, gm0008, is in musth and is Tracking. He does a couple of Trunk-Bounce-Drags and engages in Periscope-Trunk. He seems to catch a scent and stops dead in his tracks. He Foot-Swings and then abruptly changes course and continues Tracking. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Foot-Swinging

Context: Attentive (2)

A medium sized male is following an estrous female with a gang of other males. He pauses to Foot-Swing and seems to be considering something. The female stops to Urinate and he and other males got to sniff the urine and perform Flehmen. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Foot-Swinging

Context: Attentive (3)

A musth male, who is likely Emo, is Tracking someone. Some minutes later he meets and Runs-After Teejay, not in musth, and then later in the day he meets Pascal, also in musth, and there is an altercation - it may well be Pascal's trail he has found. He pauses Foot-Swinging as he appears to Listen and consider what to do. He continues. (Amboseli, Kenya)