In a third experiment, the researchers presented three elephant families that in the recent past had lost matriarchs in their female-dominated society, with the choice between the skull of their own matriarch and those of the matriarchs of the other two families.
The elephants did not pick out the skull of their dead matriarch, showing that they may not be able to specifically select the skulls of their own relatives, said the researchers.
According to Paul Rees, an expert of elephant behavior at the University of Salford's School of Environment and Life Sciences, U.K., it is difficult to speculate on the elephants' interest in their dead.
"Some elephants have tusks of quite distinctive shapes so it is perfectly possible that an elephant might recognize another from its tusks alone," Rees told Animal Planet News.
"Since elephants spend a lot of time associating with their close relatives, it may also be the case that they are more likely to recognize relatives than other elephants with whom they have spend less time."
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.
