Elephants call each other by name
Having a name is not just a human thing. We are just learning that African elephants call each other by name. You can see an Elephant respond to her name in the video below.
Researchers used machine learning (“the field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without explicitly being programmed.”) to understand the nuances of the sounds elephants make.
Elephant calls are not limited to the trumpet-like sound we tend to associate them with. Most are deep, thrumming sounds known as rumbles that are partially below the range of human hearing.
“Using arbitrary sounds to name other individuals implies a capacity for abstract thought, as it involves using sound as a symbol to represent another elephant.”
As we continue to learn about our these graceful giants, we see how incredibly complex they are.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/african-elephants-address-one-another-by-unique-name-like-calls-new-study-suggests