Circus-Pose

Lifting and holding the trunk up in an S-shape, similar to Periscope-Trunk, but with upper bend of the trunk resting against the elephant’s forehead. Circus-Pose appears to be an anticipatory gesture - an elephant waiting for something he or she expects to happen. We have also observed Lorato, an individual adolescent female in Maasai Mara, Kenya, adopt this posture repetitively as an idiosyncratic behavior.

References: Poole & Granli 2021. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Aggressive, Attentive, Novel & Idiosyncratic, Social Play

Circus-Pose

Context: Social Play (1)

Three young males come together and greet one another Trunk-to-Genitals, Trunk-to-Mouth and Trunk-to-Temporal-Glands. In this clip after one young male reaches Trunk-to-Temporal-Glands to the first male he pauses in a Circus-Pose before reaching Trunk-to-Mouth and Trunk-to-Temporal-Glands of the second male. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Circus-Pose

Context: Social Play (2)

Fudge of the FD family stands Contemplating us in a playful and attentive Circus-Pose. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Circus-Pose

Context: Social Play (3)

Three males are Sparring. The one on the right stands expectantly in a Circus-Pose as he waits for his partners next move. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Circus-Pose

Context: Social Play (4)

A family group is Mud-Splashing at a water hole. The adult female on the right wants to depart and adopts a Let's-Go-Stance. This clip is a short section of her standing facing the direction she wants to go, Body-Axis-Pointing and Waits for 4.5 minutes until the matriarch finally decides to move on. She spends most of the time in a Circus-Pose. Toward the end (not included in this clip) she gives a Let's-Go-Rumble. Then the female she is Waiting for begins to move and they walk off as a family. (Amboseli, Kenya)