Elephants can communicate through the ground. Scientists have now worked out how

A new study has revealed why this mechanism works so effectively. It turns out that the secret lies in the structure of the middle ear, the large auditory ossicles and, possibly, a specific muscle that helps animals to perceive ground vibrations more effectively.

The study has been published in the journal *Frontiers in Audiology and Otology*.

How elephants ‘talk’ through the ground

When an elephant walks or emits very low-frequency sounds, faint seismic waves travel through the ground.

Other elephants are able to detect these vibrations through their feet. The vibrations then travel along the bones of the legs, reach the skull and are transmitted directly to the inner ear.

This method of perception is known as bone conduction.

Whilst ordinary sound signals travel for around five kilometres, vibrations in the ground can be felt at distances of up to 10 kilometres or more.

What the scientists discovered

The researchers compared the temporal bones of elephants and humans.

They attached the samples to a special apparatus that reproduced vibrations similar to those that travel through the body and bones. They then used lasers to measure how the ossicles moved.

It turned out that in elephants, these bones transmit low-frequency vibrations to the inner ear much more effectively.

The main reason is their size.

An elephant’s ossicles are about nine times heavier than a human’s, and its eardrum is almost seven times larger.

As a result, low frequencies are transmitted to the inner ear much more effectively.

There is another secret

The authors of the study suggest that elephants may consciously close their ear canal using a special muscle.

Humans are unable to do this.

If this hypothesis is confirmed, sensitivity to the lowest frequencies could increase by about 30 times. In that case, elephants would be able to perceive faint vibrations travelling through the ground even more effectively.

However, this is currently only a hypothesis based on calculations. It has yet to be tested.

Why this is important

The ability to detect vibrations helps elephants stay in contact with other members of their herd even when they cannot be seen.

Such signals can be used to warn of danger, find mates or coordinate movement over long distances.

The research also helps us better understand how evolution has adapted the largest land animals to life in open spaces.

Background

Elephants have long been known for their ability to produce infrasound – very low-frequency sounds that humans cannot hear.

Scientists had previously suggested that some of these signals travel through the ground. This new study explains in detail, for the first time, why elephants’ auditory system is particularly well adapted to this specific mode of communication.

Source

Bone-Conduction Hearing in Elephants and Humans: A Middle-Ear Comparative Study. Frontiers in Audiology and Otology (2026).