Communication

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/unforgettable/communication.html

            A lot of people think that Elephants have a brain the size of a peanut but that is not true. They are actually very complex animals. Not only are they capable of deep thoughts; they have a very interesting way of communicating. A recent discovery shows that some elephant communication can’t be heard by humans, where the low frequency is of 1 to 20 Hz. And 20 Hz is the absolute low that the human ear can perceive. They also make high pitched noises, use touch, smell and vision as a way of communication. But the unheard communicating comes into effect when, for example; a male is looking for a mate, to warn of a predator, or if an elephant is lost from its herd, because low frequencies travel a longer distance.  In the article linked above, Poole (an elephant researcher) says, “…elephants use more than 70 kinds of vocal sounds and 160 different visual and tactile signals, expressions, and gestures in their day-to-day interactions.” (Poole, 1) Elephants can squeal, cry, scream, roar, snort, rumble, and groan to get their point across. It’s hard to perceive that these creatures are so intelligent, and to think there are a lot stuck in zoos and circuses, being told what to do makes me cringe.