‘All about that bass’

Elephant vocal communication: sound production and adaptive context

Although living in substantially different habitats, African (Loxodonta sp.) and Asian (Elephas maximus) elephants are extremely social and intra-specific communication is highly developed in these species. In particular, elephants are very vocal and acoustic signals play an integral part within the society of African and Asian elephants.

Elephants make extensive use of vocalizations with fundamental frequencies in the infrasonic range and exhibit an interesting vocal plasticity (grading between call types, call type combinations, and sophisticated, context-dependent within-call type flexibility affecting all parameters including vocal tract resonance frequencies (formants). In addition, previously undocumented vocalizations sometimes emerge- mostly documented in captive elephants: sound invention and vocal imitation is apparent in both recent genera of Elephantidae.

In my talk I will discuss vocal production mechanisms and the function of infrasonic vocalizations and will further focus on the vocal learning ability of elephants, it’s neural bases and potential adaptive context.

See more at: http://cognitivescience.ceu.edu/events/2015-04-08/departmental-colloquium-angela-stoger-horwath-universitat-wien

We're looking forward to see you there! (Oktober 6 street 7, room 101)