To verify this theory, Garstang's team set up elaborate atmospheric measurement equipment and flew weather balloons throughout the study to keep constant track of the wind speeds and temperatures at various heights in the atmosphere above the study area.
Elephants need to call great distances in order to reproduce, said Garstang. Female elephants have only a brief period of fertility and need to get the best mates in a timely manner. The only way they can do this is to put out an estrus call, he said, and listen for what sorts of answers she receives.
It appears that elephants do know that morning and evening are best for calling, without any knowledge of why it's best, said Garstang. Elephants have simply learned what times work best and stuck to them.
Name: African Elephant (
Loxodonta africana)
Primary Classification: Proboscidea (Elephants)
Location: Africa.
Habitat: Wide range, including desert, scrub, savanna and high rainforest.
Diet: Bark, fruit, grass and leaves.
Size: Up to 16 ft in length, 13 ft in height, and 11 tons in weight.
Description: Gray, sparsely haired skin; large ears, which aid in temperature regulation; long, forward-curving ivory tusks, used for fighting, digging and eating; long, muscular trunk with two finger-like projections at the tip.
Cool Facts: It is the largest land mammal on Earth. It takes care of weak and injured pack members and grieves over dead companions. It has a particular fascination with the tusks and bones of dead elephants.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Major Threat: Poaching
What Can I Do?: Visit
Save the Elephants, the
African Wildlife Foundation, and the
Living With Elephants Foundation for information on how you can help endangered elephants.
