How many distinct calls are known? Do they vary with the age and/or sex of animals?
There are close to 70 distinct calls currently recognized by biologists studying elephant vocalizations and their usage is strongly determined by age and sex. The majority of the known calls are used by adult females – rather few of them by adult males. In essence females are active communicators and males are rather passive communicators but active listeners! Elephant calves also have a set of unique calls whose use they abandon as they mature and adopt juvenile and then adult repertoires.
