Study: African elephants call each other by their namesz

Wild elephants in Africa give each other unique names. Such a conclusion was reached by scientists who published the results of their research in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution .

They believe that the names themselves represent a unique set of sounds assigned to a particular elephant. Animals refer to each other by name when they are at a great distance from each other or when mothers call their children.

However, adults use names more often than children, so scientists suggest that it may take years to master this skill.

Within the framework of the study, scientists used an artificial intelligence algorithm to study more than 500 audio recordings of African elephants, which were recorded in the Samburu National Reserve and Ambosei National Park in Kenya between 1986 and 2022. By analyzing this audio data, the computer model determined with 28% accuracy which elephant was being addressed at which particular moment.

"Elephants, like humans, use names, but probably not always. That's why we probably wouldn't get 100%," said the author of the study, biologist Mickey Pardo.

The scientists then attached to the elephants the notes that they thought contained the names of specific animals. It turned out that the elephants reacted quite actively to being surprised by their own names. When they heard other names, their enthusiasm decreased significantly.

Scientists note that elephants are very social animals, constantly evolving. The fact that they give each other names proves that these animals have the ability to think abstractly.

In the wild, animals rarely name each other, although dolphins and parrots do.