African bush elephants. (Photo: ifaw)

Dolphins and parrots are also known to address each other by mimicking the sounds of others of their species, but elephants are the first animals, other than humans, to use names that do not involve mimicry.

In a study published on June 10, an international team of researchers said they used artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze the calls of two herds of African elephants in Kenya.

“This study not only shows that elephants use individual-specific calls, but that they also recognize and respond to their own calls and ignore the calls of others,” said Michael Pardo, lead author of the study.

This suggests that elephants can determine whether a call is meant to call them or not, according to a behavioral ecologist at Colorado State University.

The team screened elephant rumbles recorded in Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park in Kenya between 1986 and 2022.

Using machine learning algorithms, they identified 469 distinct calls, of which 101 were the callers and 117 were the receivers. Elephants make a wide range of sounds, from trumpet-like calls to rumbles so deep they are inaudible to the human ear.

Names are not always used when elephants call each other. When they do , they are often very far apart and when adults call their babies. Adults also tend to use names more than babies, suggesting that it may take many years for elephants to learn this special skill.

The study, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, found that when researchers played recordings of elephants calling to family members, they responded positively and enthusiastically. But the same elephant did not respond as much when the calls were directed to other elephants.

This suggests that elephants and humans are two animals known to name each other, rather than simply copying the sounds of the recipient, according to the research team.

Researchers say more research is needed into the evolutionary origins of this naming ability, as elephant ancestors split from primates and crustaceans about 90 million years ago.