PAYNE, KATY — Silent Thunder

Phoenix. 1999. (ISBN: 9780753807378). Paperback. Paperback in very good condition. The hidden voice of elephants. The scientist who observed elephants for ten years reveals how they communicate. What is the explanation behind the sensitive awareness showed by elephants within their own particular tribes? Katy Payne tells how, on one occasion, a group of elephants she was observing appeared restless. They looked around them, as if searching for someone missing. Then, after a while, from over the horizon, an elephant lumbered into view. Once he arrived, the whole group calmed down, and then, amicably set off for a waterhole together. Payne discovered, through the use of high-frequency recorders, that elephants emit sounds that humans cannot hear. By her account, at least 50 sq/km can be filled by an elephant call. She also discovered that an elephant's delicate perception can detect calls with different meanings. Her extremely well-written book ends with an appeal for the conservation of elephants, whose numbers are falling. Used: Acceptable.