ALL ABOUT DUSTING!

Episode 4 of our Elephant Behaviour series is all about the behaviour called Dusting. This is a behaviour that is seen frequently by elephants, and essential for the maintenance and comfort of their bodies.

That is why the behaviour dusting can be seen in two different contexts, “Maintenance” and “Foraging & Comfort Technique” as by dusting they are ensuring they keep their skin protected from the sun, as well as helping to both prevent insect bites as well as sooth insect bites.

You can see quite a few examples of dusting in this episode which all age and sexes of elephants partake in.

We would like to take this opportunity once again, to thank Elephant Voices for sharing all their research on their public platform called the Elephant Ethogram, which provides the world with all this incredible insight into elephant behaviours.

Use this link to view the Elephant Ethogram by Elephant Voices:
https://www.elephantvoices.org/elepha...


* Our elephant behaviour videos showcase various elephant behaviours through our video archives that feature a unique semihabituated herd, called the Jabulani Herd. By making use of the information available on the Elephant Ethogram, a public platform created and shared freely by the team at Elephant Voices, we are showcasing some of the more commonly seen physical behaviours by sharing a few examples of individual behaviours in succession. All behaviours are always open to interpretation and based on numerous contributing factors which are taken into consideration.*