Read previewScientists using AI tools have discovered that elephants likely have unique names for each other, according to a new study.
A group of scientists used machine learning to analyze hundreds of wild African elephant calls recorded in Kenya between 1986 and 2022, publishing their findings on Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
They did not analyze other types of rumbles, like "let's go" rumbles, because elephants are less likely to use specific names in that context, the authors explained.
Unlike dolphins and parrots, who address each other by mimicking the receiver's voice, these elephant calls are not imitations of what each elephant sounds like.
And if the elephants have names for each other, it's also possible that they have names for other objects too, according to the study's authors.
Persons:
—, Mickey Pardo, Pardo, they're, it's
Organizations:
Service, Business, New York Times, CNN
Locations:
Kenya