Elephants Are Able To Distinguish Human Voices: Study

An article recently published by the Los Angeles Times offers proof that elephants are able to distinguish between different human beings. According to the study that has recently been published by behavioral ecologist Graeme Shannon, elephants are able to make distinctions between different human beings using the clues offered by the sound of the human voice.

As Shannon reveals, these elephants can tell humans apart by using the criteria of age, sex, and even ethnicity. Shannon says that this sign of high intelligence is a also an excellent self defense mechanism. This is particular true in areas of Africa and Asia where elephants often come into contact with humans.

Shannon offers this appraisal of the situation: “The elephants can’t predict where the people are going to be because they range over these large areas, grazing their cattle. So the threat is both spatially and temporally very variable — and so they have to respond appropriately.”

In the course of the study, researchers from the University of Colorado used a speaker, which was camouflaged with a screen made from palm leaves. They put the speaker up about 50 meters away from where some elephants were expected to be. The speaker played recordings of local villagers of all ages and both genders giving warnings that a group of elephants was on its way.

The elephants were able to hear the voices, and quickly move to other areas. The experiment thus proves that elephants are smart enough to respond to such warnings with the correct measures.