Self-naming is not exclusive to humans. Elephants, including those in Africa, also respond to and address one another with distinct calls that carry meaning for each individual involved.
This concept is supported by research conducted through a collaboration among the University of Colorado in the United States and the organizations Save the Elephants, Elephant Voices, and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, part of a broader field study.
Researchers note that a hallmark of human speech is the use of vocal tags, learned sounds that reference a particular object or individual. While many species emit calls tied to food sources or danger, the production of those calls is typically innate rather than learned.
When such vocal tags are learned, they enable more flexible communication and permit the creation of new tags to refer to additional entities. In humans, this flexibility supports symbolic thought and complex language. Still, the study emphasizes that instances of vocal tagging are rare in nonhuman animals, especially when it comes to naming specific individuals.
Females and males within elephant groups clearly demonstrate that names or identifiers can be attached to individuals. The evidence suggests that a name-like tag is an acquired capability, since no one is born knowing the future social network of peers.
European and African biologists alike recognize African elephants as a notable exception. They can imitate novel sounds, a talent that remains uncommon among mammals and has unclear functions, yet it is linked to their vocal-learning ability.
In the current study, scientists examined vocal exchanges among groups of wild elephant calves in the savannas of Africa. They scrutinized more than five hundred twenty-seven calls from Samburu in northern Kenya and ninety-eight calls from Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, focusing on instances where both the caller and the recipient were identifiable.
Just like people do
The researchers report that elephants actively tag their conspecifics through distinctive vocal cues, a phenomenon previously regarded as unique to human language. This finding highlights a degree of vocal sophistication in elephants that mirrors a social tagging system seen in human communities.
Experts describe this tagging skill as especially advantageous for elephants. Since social units may be separated by distance, tag-based communication enables them to send contact sounds over long distances, maintaining social bonds and coordinating movements despite visibility challenges.
Similarly, scientists propose that this tagging mechanism may be the central function behind learning vocal production in wild elephants. The team notes that this discovery opens a path to explore the selective pressures that may have driven the evolution of this rare capability.
Reference work: BioRxiv 2023.08.25.554872v1 (attribution: researchers affiliated with the University of Colorado and partner conservation NGOs; data and methods summarized in the preprint cited by the study records)
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Note: details about the environmental department and contact channels have been omitted here to maintain focus on the research findings and their implications for understanding elephant communication.
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