Behavioral Response of Satellite‐collared Elephants to the Tsunami in Southern Sri Lanka¹

2006/07/28 by Eric Wikramanayake, Prithiviraj Fernando, Peter Leimgruber · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Psychology · Environmental Science · #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Primate Behavior and Ecology #Marine animal studies overview

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00199.x

Abstract

ABSTRACT After the Asian tsunami the media was inundated with reports of aberrant behavior among animals attributed to a “sixth sense” that allowed them to respond to the catastrophe ahead of the impact. We present behavior data from two satellite‐collared Asian elephants that ranged close to the tsunami impact area in Sri Lanka. These data indicate that neither elephant behaved in a manner consistent with a “sixth sense” that allowed an early detection of the approaching tsunami.

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