Humans, dolphins, bats and some birds are able to copy the sounds they hear to communicate with other members of their groups. Research with two African elephants shows that these giant creatures can be added to this short list of copycats.

Scientists made sound recordings from two African elephants named Mlaika and Calimero. Mlaika is a ten-year-old female elephant who lives three kilometers from the Nairobi-Mombasa highway in Kenya. She learned to make sounds just like a truck. In fact, statistical analysis showed that Mlaika's calls were not different from a real truck. The other elephant, Calimero, is a 23-year-old male who lived for 18 years with two female Asian elephants at the Basel Zoo in Switzerland. Calimero learned the typical chirp sounds made by the Asian elephants. Other African elephants do not make these chirps.

Learning and using new sounds allows members of a group to communicate with each other. The research team believes the elephants' vocal skills help the animals recognize each other and maintain social contact with other elephants.