Elephant sonic and infrasonic sound production, perception, and processing

The recent elephant species, the African savannah, the African forest, and the Asian elephant, are all social, and intraspecific communication is highly developed. Specifically, acoustic signals play a fundamental role within elephant societies. In this chapter, I have provided an overview of elephant communication with an emphasis on the African savannah and the Asian elephant’s vocal systems, discussing the acoustic structure of calls (sonic and infrasonic), sound production, and perception mechanisms. Behavioral correlates of endocrine mechanisms and regulations are reviewed using “musth” (a condition in bull elephants characterized by increased aggressive behavior and elevated androgen levels) as an example. Recent neuroanatomical studies in relation to vocal production and perception and the examples of vocal production learning are further discussed. The reader shall understand that the combination of behavioral, physiological, and neuroanatomical studies needs to be emphasized to understand the vocal capacities of these highly iconic and endangered species.