Elephant Infrasound CommunicationBiology 342 Fall '06 |
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Adaptive Value of Infrasound CommunicationHow does long-range, low-frequency communication help the elephant better reproduce?Elephants use infrasound signals to keep the group together, locate lost group members, and give each other information on the immediate situation. That is, elephants use infrasound to communicate information about temporary situations (for example, alarm) rather than more long-lived situations (for example, that a female is in estrous). In order to communicate information about prolonged conditions, an elephant is more likely to use chemical cues (see the mechanisms section) [1]. Elephants respond to seismic informationAn elephant's ability to perceive infrasound signals also enables it to respond to seismic cues. This may be advantageous in receiving information about weather, earthquakes, and other environmental disturbances [6].
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