Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication
By Ann Downer
4/5
()
About this ebook
On a hot day in the African savannah, a group of elephants searches for food. While foraging they often lose sight of one another. Yet at the end of the day, in one coordinated movement, the elephants suddenly regroup. This coordinated movement—and others like it—has puzzled scientists and caused them to question how elephants communicate with each other.
Since the 1990s, scientists have gathered significant data on elephant “talk.” Biologists have determined that elephants use a complex system of communication of at least ten distinct sounds, combined in many variations. Researchers are now asking: what do these sounds mean?
As scientists study the elephant sounds that humans can hear, they are also identifying ways elephants communicate through nonverbal behaviors and making sounds too low for human ears. Scientists have realized that elephants even receive messages by using their sensitive feet to feel vibrations in the ground. All of these discoveries are helping elephant researchers better understand elephant behavior.
But the elephant’s time as a wild animal is running out. Threatened by habitat loss and illegally hunted for their ivory tusks, elephants are on the brink of extinction. Will understanding elephant talk be the key to saving the species?
Ann Downer
Ann Downer was born in Virginia and spent part of her childhood in the Philippines and in Thailand. She is the author of five fantasy novels for young readers and three previous books about science, including the award-winning Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication for Twenty-First Century Books. Her first picture book, Shark Baby, was published in 2013. She lives outside Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and son. Their backyard is visited by woodchucks, skunks, and rabbits, but no bears—so far.
Read more from Ann Downer
Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Animal Neighbors: Sharing Our Urban World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Elephant Talk
Related ebooks
My First Book about Rhinoceroses: Amazing Animal Books - Children's Picture Books Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fantastic World of Foxes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLion Hearted: The Life and Death of Cecil & the Future of Africa's Iconic Cats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElephants on the Edge: What Animals Teach Us about Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tracks and Shadows: Field Biology as Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great White Bear: A Natural & Unnatural History of the Polar Bear Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsField Guide to the Seashores of South-Eastern Australia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wisdom of Wolves: Lessons From the Sawtooth Pack Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Raptors: The Curious Nature of Diurnal Birds of Prey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Recovering Australian Threatened Species: A Book of Hope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChief Seattle's Letter to The American President Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In the Kingdom of Gorillas: The Quest to Save Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bird Migration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dolphin Confidential: Confessions of a Field Biologist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ascent of Birds: How Modern Science is Revealing their Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elephant Sense and Sensibility Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal Kind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eye of the Shoal: A Fishwatcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean and Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Australasian Eagles and Eagle-like Birds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Cry Wolf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Marine Conservation Biology: The Science of Maintaining the Sea's Biodiversity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Woodlands Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Children's Animals For You
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prince Caspian: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Popper's Penguins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stuart Little Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Graveyard Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Horse and His Boy: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crabby the Crab Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bridge to Terabithia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brave Like a Bee: Bedtime Stories for Children, Bedtime Stories for Kids, Children’s Books Ages 3 - 5, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shiloh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jealous Lion: Bedtime Stories for Children, Bedtime Stories for Kids, Children’s Books Ages 3 - 5, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Into the Wild: Warriors #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coraline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Battle: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amari and the Night Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sarah, Plain and Tall: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Velveteen Rabbit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frog and Toad: A Little Book of Big Thoughts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Garden: The 100th Anniversary Edition with Tasha Tudor Art and Bonus Materials Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pete the Kitty: Ready, Set, Go-Cart! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coraline 10th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dog Who Watched TV Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Kitty Gets a Bath Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pout-Pout Fish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Elephant Talk
7 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Informative and interesting with great photographs and an attractive design.