New research suggests that wild African elephants might address each other using individual-specific calls, a method similar to the use of personal names in humans but without relying on imitation. This finding could significantly impact our understanding of language evolution across species.
Researchers employed machine learning techniques to analyze the acoustic structure of elephant calls. They discovered that the intended receiver of a call could be identified regardless of any similarity to the receiver’s vocalizations. This suggests that elephants may have a sophisticated method of vocal communication that does not depend on mimicking each other.
Additionally, the study observed elephants’ responses to recorded calls. Elephants reacted differently when hearing calls originally directed at them than calls meant for others.
This behavior indicates that elephants can distinguish between calls meant for them and calls directed at other individuals.
This evidence of non-imitative individual addressing among elephants adds a new dimension to our understanding of animal communication and points to a possible evolutionary parallel with human language development.