Elephants Send Messages Through the Ground Using Their Feet

African elephants produce low-frequency rumbles that travel through soil, and their padded feet and skeletal system help detect those ground vibrations.

African elephants use both airborne sounds and ground vibrations to communicate across long distances. Their low-frequency rumbles include infrasonic elements that travel efficiently through soil. In wide, flat habitats like savannas this seismic transmission can extend signal range. Scientists study how elephants detect these vibrations through their feet and skeleton. Key observations: - Elephants produce deep, low-frequency rumbles that include infrasonic components. - Some rumbles can travel over a mile through air and pass efficiently through soil, especially on flat ground. - Researchers have shown elephants generate surface waves such as Rayleigh waves that propagate along the ground. - Elephant feet have angled toe bones and wedge-shaped fat pads; soft tissues and nerve endings in the pads can detect ground vibrations. - Vibrations may also reach the inner ear via bone conduction, and elephants sometimes shift stance (lifting or spreading feet) in ways consistent with enhancing vibration detection. - Seismic signals appear to supplement acoustic communication; questions remain about substrate preference and possible sensing of distant storms, and further research is needed. Summary: Seismic transmission allows elephants to extend communication beyond what air alone provides, using both footpad sensing and bone conduction. This channel complements normal hearing rather than replacing it. Researchers report several promising observations but state that more study is needed to confirm specific functions such as substrate selection or weather sensing.