In the vast landscape of South Africa’s Cape south coast, our team of fossil experts has unearthed a fascinating discovery that has puzzled and intrigued us for years. Through our rigorous scientific study of tracks and traces, we have meticulously identified over 350 fossil vertebrate tracksites, spanning the Pleistocene Epoch and ranging from 35,000 to 400,000 years in age.
In 2019, during an expedition along the De Hoop Nature Reserve’s coastline, approximately 200km east of Cape Town, we stumbled upon a remarkable find. Adjacent to a cluster of fossilized elephant tracks, we encountered a mysterious round feature, 57cm in diameter, containing concentric ring features, alongside another layer with at least 14 parallel groove features about 7cm below the surface. This anomaly immediately captivated our attention and led us to an unprecedented hypothesis about its origin.
Elephants, renowned as the largest land animals, are known to leave distinct, deep tracks, shaping the ground they traverse. Yet, our discovery suggested something far more extraordinary – a potential trace fossil signature of seismic, underground communication between elephants, a feat previously unseen in the scientific community.
Our investigation into the phenomenon led us to the intriguing world of “elephant seismicity,” a concept that has gained prominence in scientific literature since the 1980s. Elephants produce infrasonic “rumbles” from their larynx, conveying these low-frequency sounds through the ground via their limbs. Such seismic communication has been documented to travel over substantial distances, facilitated by sandy terrain, enabling elephant groups to interact over several kilometers.
Drawing parallels with dinosaur tracks, we delved into the possibility that the concentric rings and parallel grooves could be attributed to the vibrations generated by elephant rumbling. The patterns bore resemblance to the ripple effects seen when vibrating sand, indicating a potential link between elephant seismic communication and the distinctive features we uncovered. In a fascinating revelation, our team discovered that such indigenous knowledge was also depicted in rock art by the San people thousands of years ago, suggesting a deep-rooted understanding of elephant seismicity in southern Africa.
The integration of research on extant elephant populations, ancestral knowledge manifested in rock art, and the trace fossil record has unveiled a groundbreaking perspective on elephant seismic communication. Our findings not only shed light on a previously unexplored aspect of elephant behavior but also open doors for interdisciplinary research into this enthralling field.
As we continue to probe the depths of Earth’s history, our mission is to unravel the untold stories engraved in the ancient imprints of time, bringing to light the remarkable secrets concealed within the sands of antiquity.
