COMPARATIVE BEHAVIORAL BIOLOGY WORKSHOP PRESENTS

PETER WREGE

DIRECTOR OF THE ELEPHANT LISTENING PROJECT, CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY

HIDDEN BEASTS: EAVESDROPPING ON FOREST ELEPHANTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13 @
12PM

BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES BUILDING
SEMINAR ROOM 122

Abstract: Forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) are the least well known of the three species of elephants living today and yet offer our best chance to protect an elephant in a nearly natural environment, experiencing the culture they evolved with. The dense rainforest habitat of forest elephants makes their study and protection challenging. Through the insight of Katy Payne, who discovered their use of infrasound to communicate, the Elephant Listening Project is using acoustic methods to eavesdrop on their conversations, providing a better understanding of where they are and what they are doing. At the same time, we record the impacts of humans on their lives. With examples from Gabon, Central African Republic, and Congo, I will show how passive acoustic monitoring gives us an exciting tool for revealing the ecology and behavior of hidden beasts.

if you are interested in meeting or having lunch with this speaker, please contact me at cfleener@uchicago.edu