Interactive Case Study for Studying Elephant Communication
Description
This video case study explores whether elephants can detect, interpret, and respond to signals delivered by underground vibrations.
Biologist Caitlin O’Connell had noticed that elephants would often freeze in their tracks and place their trunks on the ground, as though they were sensing some kind of signal underground. Working in Etosha National Park, Namibia, she designed an experiment to determine whether elephants would be able to detect and respond to an alarm call delivered as underground vibrations.
This video incorporates embedded questions at automatic pause points, where students are asked to make predictions, construct explanations, and analyze data. After answering all the questions, students can view their answers in a “Report” that can be printed. They can also add further explanation to each answer in the Report if their thinking has changed. The video can also be shown without embedded questions using "Presentation Mode."
The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.
Student Learning Targets
- Describe different methods used by animals to communicate with other members of a group and to interpret their environment.
- Design an experiment to test a hypothesis.
- Predict the results of an experiment, based on a hypothesis.
- Interpret the results of an experiment and draw conclusions based on those results.
Estimated Time
Key Terms
acoustic signal, bar graph, experiment, hearing, scientific methodology, seismic signal, sound frequency, vibration
Primary Literature
O'Connell-Rodwell, C. E., J. D. Wood, T. C. Rodwell, S. Puria, S. R. Partan, R. Keefe, D. Shriver, et al. “Wild elephant (Loxodonta africana) breeding herds respond to artificially transmitted seismic stimuli.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 59, 6 (2006): 842–850. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-005-0136-2.
Terms of Use
Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.
Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)
Version History
NGSS (2013)
HS-LS2-8, HS-PS4-1; SEP3, SEP4
AP Biology (2019)
ENE-3.D, IST-5.A; SP3, SP4
IB Biology (2016)
A.3
AP Environmental Science (2020)
Topic(s): 7.8
Learning Objectives & Practices: STB-2.J, SP1, SP4, SP5, SP6
IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)
2.1
Common Core (2010)
Math.F-IF.9; MP3
Vision and Change (2009)
CC5; DP1, DP4