IGERT Story
Social Dynamics of Asian elephants
A group of Asian elephants at the Uda Walawe reservoir.
Description
Latest research finds that female Asian elephants have very fluid and dynamic social lives, forming what is termed a ‘fission-fusion’ society. By individually identifying close to 300 animals and closely following the friendships of 51 individuals over multiple years, the study shows that Asian elephants, previously thought to associate in small groups of three to five individuals when seen on a day-to-day basis, may separate and reunite with upwards of twenty friends over longer time scales spanning multiple seasons and years.
