New research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science in July 2025 reveals that African Savannah elephants utilize a diverse range of deliberate gestures to communicate specific desires to humans. This study provides the first empirical evidence of goal-directed gestural communication in non-primate mammals, significantly advancing the understanding of animal cognition and social signaling.
The research, led by Vesta Eleuteri, involved observing 17 semi-captive elephants in Zimbabwe. In controlled experiments, elephants were presented with a choice between two trays: one filled with six apples and an empty one. Researchers meticulously recorded the elephants' gestural responses, noting their behavior when their objective was fully met, partially fulfilled, or not met at all. The findings indicated that these elephants employed 38 distinct gesture types, crucially, almost exclusively when a human experimenter was visually attentive. This behavior strongly suggests an awareness of their audience and a strategic approach to communication, demonstrating clear audience-directedness.
Further analysis highlighted the elephants' cognitive sophistication and intentionality. When their requests were only partially satisfied, the elephants demonstrated persistence by continuing to gesture. More strikingly, when their initial attempts were unmet, they adapted their strategy by employing new or different gestures. This adaptability and persistence in communication align with the concept of first-order intentionality, where an individual intentionally uses signals to influence another's behavior to achieve a specific goal.
This level of intentional communication, previously thought to be largely confined to primates, suggests that such advanced cognitive skills may have evolved independently in species with complex social structures and high intelligence. The research team, including Vesta Eleuteri, Lucy Bates, Yvonne Nyaradzo Masarira, Joshua M. Plotnik, Catherine Hobaiter, and Angela S. Stoeger, noted that elephants not only adapt their communication but also assess its effectiveness. This capacity to intentionally communicate goals using a variety of gestures is a testament to their advanced cognitive abilities, placing them in a unique category alongside primates.
The study's findings challenge long-held notions about the exclusivity of complex communication skills to primates and open new avenues for understanding the evolution of intelligence across the animal kingdom. The research suggests that sophisticated cognitive communication skills may have evolved independently in highly intelligent and social species, broadening our perspective on animal cognition and communication. This discovery encourages further exploration into other social species to ascertain the prevalence of such intentional communication abilities.
This detailed investigation into elephant gestural communication underscores the depth of their cognitive capacities and their complex social signaling. It highlights how understanding these intricate communication systems can offer profound insights into the evolution of intelligence and the diverse ways in which life forms connect and express their intentions.