Most people would not think of elephants as quiet animals everything from their trumpeting trunks to their heavy tread announces their arrival - but new research from elephant experts at the San Diego Zoo suggests that the large, gentle creatures have a subtle language all their own, which is inaudible to the human ear.
A team of animal experts, led by Matt Anderson, studied eight elephants by attaching a leather collar with a GPS tracking system, recording device and microphone, according to the Daily Mail. The scientists recorded the animals' calls and movements for a 24-hour period every week for 10 weeks, and then analyzed the data.
What they found surprised them - it seems like the female elephants had been communicating secretly among themselves before giving birth. They would also use low-frequency sounds, which only they could hear, to alert each other to the presence of predators.
It appears that the male elephants were not as communicative.
"We're excited to learn of the hierarchy within the female herd and how they interact and intercede with one another," Anderson told the BBC news.