Rev

A short (<1 second="" tonal="" vocalization="" that="" is="" almost="" always="" followed="" by="" a="" rumble="" without="" an="" exhalation="" the="" rev="" has="" harmonic="" structure="" and="" appearance="" similar="" to="" short="" but="" its="" fundamental="" frequency="" 50-90="" hz="" significantly="" higher="" revs="" are="" very="" rarely="" heard="" in="" wild="" little="" known="" about="" their="" usage="" p="">

References: Leong et al 2003; Poole 2011. (Full reference list)

 

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Affiliative, Calf Reassurance & Protection

Rev

Context: Affiliative (1)

Another adult female in the group walks toward Lorato and Mama Little E and Mama Little E displays Head-Raising and Ear-Lifting in a typical Little-Greeting posture. We can hear a Rev-like sound by her and then, another immediately after by the female in the foreground who approached her and also Head-Raises and Ear-Lifts. Normally this would be associated with rumbling, but we see no evidence of this. They stand side-by-side, but it is also clear that this is a Supplant.

The older female came very purposefully and displaced Mama Little E from where she was feeding. As this goes on Lorato looks after Little E. Note that we have called this a Rev since the sounds came from the elephants' mouths not from their trunks. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)