A new international study shows that elephants not only are intelligent and have complex social relationships, but also that they use intentional gestures to communicate with people, indicating an advanced form of thinking and intention.
Photo: Pixabay
Research has recently been published and shows that semi-current elephants can use up to 38 different types of gestures to demand food from humans. The study was conducted by the University of Vienna, in collaboration with institutions in the UK and the US.
“We wanted to understand if the elephants not only communicate, but if they do it intentionally, with a purpose in mind, as people or primates do.” explained the vest Eleuteri, PhD student and main author of the study, quoted by Independent.co.uk.
How did the study unfold
The researchers analyzed the behavior of the elephants when they are offered or refused apples. The results showed that the elephants adapted their gestures according to the human reaction: they insisted if they did not receive everything they wanted or changed to clarify what they wanted exactly, behaviors considered clear evidence.
Among the most common gestures: the extension of the tuble to the tray, its balance or even more creative gestures, such as blowing the leaves in the air, used by an elephant called pfumo.
Why is it important
Intense communication is considered a complex cognitive ability, associated until recently exclusively with people and other primates. The study shows that this capacity has evolved independently in other species, such as elephants – extremely intelligent animals.
“This discovery changes the way we understand the communication of animals and gives us a window to the evolution of human language”, says the vest Eleuteri.
What follows
The researchers intend to analyze whether wild elephants use the same gestures and if different populations have “distinct gestural languages”. Doctoranda Vesta Eleuteri is currently working on coding thousands of videos with wild elephants from South Africa, to analyze the structure and significance of their gestures.
The study provides that elephants can intentionally communicate, not only by sounds or smells, but also by gestures, approaching such primates in terms of social and cognitive complexity. In addition, the deeper understanding of the communication of these animals can significantly contribute to the efforts of conservation and protection of the species.
