If someone told you an elephant can communicate through vibrations in the ground, and use its trunk like a multi-purpose gadget, you’d probably think they’re mere exaggerations. However, elephants themselves don’t really care if these sound unbelievable. They’ve been quietly doing extraordinary things all along.
The more time we spend caring for rescued elephants at Wildlife SOS, the more we get to know about some of their most fascinating traits that show up in everyday moments. Let’s look at a few of these that may sound completely made up, except science (and our very own field team) says otherwise!
1. Elephants can recognise themselves in a mirror
Mirror tests are often used to study self-awareness in animals. In a study conducted a few years after the turn of the millennium, researchers had placed a visible mark on each elephant’s body without the animals knowing about it. They then observed how the elephants responded when shown their reflections.
Interestingly, only one of the three elephants showed behaviour that suggested it recognised the mark on its own body. But there was another fascinating clue: None of the elephants tried to socially interact with their reflection. Instead, they behaved in ways they would normally avoid around another elephant, including eating while standing directly in front of the mirror.
That level of self-awareness puts them in a very small club alongside dolphins and apes that are also known for advanced cognition, and the ones who did not simply treat the reflection as another animal.
Vayu is quiet, but has a highly observant nature — the moment he discovers something new along his walking route, he pauses, stunning the caregivers who themselves may have missed it if it wasn’t highlighted by the pachyderm’s remarkable cognitive abilities. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Atharva Pacharne]
2. Their trunks contain over 40,000 muscles
A human body has just over 600 muscles. An elephant’s trunk alone contains muscles that are almost 70 times of what we have, allowing it to lift heavy logs and pick up something as delicate as a single fruit piece. Watching an elephant move seamlessly between strength and precision at the same time is nothing less than extraordinary.
At Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital Campus, Coconut can be seen twisting and turning her trunk effortlessly, whether it is wrapping it around enrichments or carefully picking up tiny treats! [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Mradul Pathak]
3. Elephants can ‘hear’ through their feet
Not that they literally have ears in their feet, but close!
Elephants can detect low-frequency vibrations travelling through the ground and use them to gather information across long distances. Which means a conversation may sometimes happen without even a single trumpet. Some of these calls can fall below 20 hertz, making them too low for humans to hear.
These vibrations can travel through the ground for several kilometres, allowing elephants to exchange information across surprisingly long distances. So, an elephant standing quietly may be picking up signals from another elephant far beyond what we can hear or see.
There are moments when Suraj simply stands still, ears relaxed and trunk lowered, perhaps gathering information that is certainly inaudible to us humans. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Vineet Singh]
4. They comfort each other when stressed
Researchers have observed elephants offering reassurance to distressed companions through touch and close physical contact.
Elephants have big emotions for their lasting friendships. If you’ve followed Wildlife SOS’s stories, you’ll know healing for them isn’t only physical. Social moments like standing close together, gentle trunk touches, moving as a mini herd, are empathetic, emotionally charged gestures that reassure one of the other.
Take Holly and Kalpana, two of our rescued and rehabilitated elephants. Holly is one of the older elephants under our care and lives with severe foot ailments. Kalpana often stays close to her, gently allowing Holly to lean against her for support. It is a simple interaction, but a powerful one that denotes affection and protection.
Rhea and Mia often choose to stand side by side or move together through their space, indicating their emotional connection. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Atharva Pacharne]
There’s still so much to learn about elephant emotions as their social skills are clearly more complex than what we once thought.
5. They’re surprisingly good swimmers
Despite their size, elephants are strong swimmers and can travel long distances in water. Their trunks even work much like built-in snorkels! Watching a large and heavy mammal simply float, relax and submerge itself in water is bound to change the idea of what grace and elegance looks like.
If there’s one thing Holly rarely says no to, it’s time in the water, with the pool being one of her favourite places to spend the day. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Atharva Pacharne]
At Wildlife SOS, many of our elephants enjoy spending time in the pools built into their enclosures. Some of them disappear into these completely, with only the tip of their trunk visible to ones with a sharp eye. Water is not only enriching and enjoyable for them, but it also plays an important role in their care. Once in their pool, these elephants experience relief as they no longer carry their body weight on limbs that are in a sorry state due to a lifetime of neglected captivity. Hydrotherapy is also routinely incorporated into healing and rehabilitation procedures, helping support mobility, comfort and overall wellbeing.
6. Elephant calves suck their trunks, just like human babies suck thumbs
Young elephants sometimes suck on their trunks for comfort, relaxation, or while falling asleep. As newborn calves, they don’t quite know what to do with their trunks, and are usually spending their time trying to figure out how they work till they can successfully control its movement. While sucking on the trunk is most common among infants, it has also been seen among grown up elephants too, especially when they are facing stress or any uncertainty. This clearly indicates the dire need to feel secure, a common craving among elephants of all ages.
One can catch infant elephant Bani exploring her enrichments as well as her trunk in equal enthusiasm. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Atharva Pacharne]
7. They have incredible long-term memory
There’s truth behind the phrase ‘an elephant never forgets’.
Studies and field observations suggest elephants remember migration routes, water sources and social relationships over long periods. It is knowledge that can help entire herds survive. Some studies also suggest that elephants may use individual ‘names’ for one another, and even after meeting related herds that have been apart for years altogether, they remember specific calls by which they greet one another.
Emma, Maya and Phoolkali share such a strong friendship, they know exactly how to address and convey their messages to one another during their daily walks. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Atharva Pacharne]
Memory also shows up in quieter ways. At Wildlife SOS, the elephants are now familiar with their environment and have memorised navigation routes, caregivers’ gestures, daily routine and the time they set for themselves for each activity, leading their lives meaningfully.
8. Their ears are built like cooling systems
Elephant ears aren’t just iconic or for decorative purposes. Instead they solve a greater purpose for their large bodies, and help in regulating body temperature.
The blood vessels in the ears release heat, and flapping increases cooling. This makes these dramatic ear flaps more practical than theatrical. It seems like nature engineered air-conditioning in the largest mammal long before humans did for themselves.
In summers during walks, Manu’s dramatic ear flaps might look like he’s showcasing regality, but he’s actually doing something brilliantly practical: helping cool himself down. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Vineet Singh]
9. Elephants communicate with rumbles humans can’t hear
Not all elephant conversations happen at trumpet volume. Sometimes, the most important conversations among elephants are happening below our hearing range. A herd spread across a large landscape may be communicating in what seems to be complete silence. That’s because these majestic beings produce infrasound, which are extremely low-frequency calls that can travel over long distances. Researchers believe elephants use these calls to coordinate movement, locate one another, signal reproductive status and maintain social bonds across distance.
Elephants don’t always need noisy interactions to show their bond. Sometimes they simply choose to share their space and communicate with gestures we haven’t yet decoded, and calls we simply cannot hear. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Atharva Pacharne]
At elephant centres of Wildlife SOS, one can hear the vocalisations between pachyderms, but with the knowledge of their ability to detect infrasound, we know that there is a lot more ‘unheard’ communication happening between them.
10. Elephants revisit places connected to loss
When elephants come across the carcass of another elephant, their behaviour can change noticeably. Researchers have observed them closely investigating the remains, sometimes gently touching the face, trunk and tusks with their own trunks. They are also known to return to the same site where a member of their herd passed away, reinforcing how strong their memory is and how compassionate they are by nature.
These quiet encounters are often described as a form of social remembrance. Scientists remain careful about calling it ‘mourning’ in the human sense so as to avoid anthropomorphisation, but the behaviour shows that elephants respond to the deaths of their own in remarkable ways.
Every rescued elephant arrives with a story we may never fully know about, but watching them rediscover comfort, avail the freedom of choice and create lifelong companionships leave us awestruck. [Photo © Wildlife SOS/ Sanjeev Marskole]
Scientists are careful not to project human emotions onto animals, but elephants continue to surprise us with their depth of emotional intelligence. Perhaps that’s what makes working with rescued elephants so powerful. The more time you spend around them, the harder it becomes to see them as simply large animals. They are individuals each carrying preferences, histories and experiences we may never fully understand.
At Wildlife SOS, every rescued elephant gets the opportunity to rediscover companionship, natural instincts, rest and nourishment. By supporting ethical tourism, refusing to ride elephants and helping rescue and rehabilitation efforts, we can make sure these giants are known not for what they endured, but for how iconic and inspiring they are.
Because the most fascinating thing about elephants is that despite facing unfortunate challenges in unnatural places, they still have the strength to choose kindness if they are given compassion, dignity and care. Support ethical tourism, say “no” to elephant rides, and help protect rescued elephants by supporting Wildlife SOS today.
Feature image: Wildlife SOS
