Elephants Can Sense Thunderstorms From Up To 150 Miles Away
- 10 years ago
Elephants large ears allow them to hear frequencies that are inaudible to humans. According to a recent study by researchers from the University of Virginia and Texas A&M University, this ability also allows elephants to hear an approaching thunderstorm from up to 150 miles away.
Elephants’ large ears aid their superior sense of hearing and with longer ear canals allow them to hear frequencies that are inaudible to humans.
According to a recent study by Australian and American researchers including from the University of Virginia and Texas A&M University, this ability also allows elephants to hear an approaching thunderstorm from up to 150 miles away.
Researchers tracked several elephants in different herds over 7 years to determine how their movement correlated with the seasonal changes in Namibia.
The weather is usually very dry there, so when it rains the elephants need to take advantage of the water.
It turns out the herds of elephants are moving in response to rain and thunder storms that are happening really far away.
Understanding the movement of the elephants can help conservationists protect them from poachers, who are one of the major threats to this endangered species.
Oliver Frauenfeld, a geology professor at Texas A&M and an author on the study is quoted as saying: “If we’re better able to determine where the elephants are and where they might go, wildlife officials can monitor the elephants better and make them safe from poaching.”
One report says that between 2010 and 2012 a hundred thousand elephants were killed by poachers for their ivory.
Elephants’ large ears aid their superior sense of hearing and with longer ear canals allow them to hear frequencies that are inaudible to humans.
According to a recent study by Australian and American researchers including from the University of Virginia and Texas A&M University, this ability also allows elephants to hear an approaching thunderstorm from up to 150 miles away.
Researchers tracked several elephants in different herds over 7 years to determine how their movement correlated with the seasonal changes in Namibia.
The weather is usually very dry there, so when it rains the elephants need to take advantage of the water.
It turns out the herds of elephants are moving in response to rain and thunder storms that are happening really far away.
Understanding the movement of the elephants can help conservationists protect them from poachers, who are one of the major threats to this endangered species.
Oliver Frauenfeld, a geology professor at Texas A&M and an author on the study is quoted as saying: “If we’re better able to determine where the elephants are and where they might go, wildlife officials can monitor the elephants better and make them safe from poaching.”
One report says that between 2010 and 2012 a hundred thousand elephants were killed by poachers for their ivory.