Elephant herd in Damaraland District, Namibia

Elephant herd in Damaraland District, Namibia

© Michael Poliza/Getty Image

March forth!. The eloquence of elephants

Scientists are studying the sometimes-surprising ways in which African elephants converse—including the ultra-low frequency sounds they can make that are imperceptible to humans. The subharmonic noises vibrate through the ground and can be felt by other elephants on the bottoms of their feet. And who knows, maybe these sounds follow a kind of grammatic structure we don’t yet comprehend.

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