Elephants Hear Through Their Feet and Can Listen Across Miles

When an elephant makes a deep, rumbling call, some of that sound doesn't travel through the air — it travels through the ground. Elephants produce infrasound, vibrations so low in frequency that humans can't hear them. These rumbles travel as seismic waves through the earth, covering distances of up to 20 miles. Which is impressive for any species, and particularly impressive for one that is famously not a telephone company.

The really wild part is how elephants receive these underground messages. They have specialized nerve endings packed into the soles of their large, padded feet. When they sense a distant rumble, elephants will sometimes "listen" by shifting their weight forward, pressing their feet firmly into the ground to pick up the signal more clearly. They are, essentially, putting their feet to their ears — and it works.

Researchers have observed elephants detecting and reacting to calls from herds miles away, as well as sensing the vibrations of distant thunderstorms, which is useful when you're planning to walk toward rain in a dry landscape. The ability may also help them detect the footsteps of predators or approaching vehicles long before those threats come into view.

So next time someone tells you to "listen up," take it with a grain of salt. Elephants would simply look down.