Wild Elephants Use 41 Gestures to Ask Others to Move or Stop

Researchers filmed wild elephants in two South African parks and recorded more than 800 gestures.

The signals were used mainly to ask another elephant to move away or stop an action.

Elephants often looked at the other animal, paused, and tried again if it did not respond.

This suggests they use gestures flexibly to manage conflicts, which may help avoid fights.