This is an online event only. The Zoom link will be sent out a couple of hours before the start of the lecture.
In this talk, Dr Lucy Bates will present an overview of what we know (so far) about the intelligence of African savannah elephants, derived mostly from studies of wild populations. We have learnt that elephants have extraordinary knowledge about their family and wider social network, and also that they are acutely aware of their environment and the threats within it – whether those threats are from predators such as lions, or from us humans. One of the most striking things we’ve learnt is how important elders are in elephant society – for providing knowledge and leadership to rest of their family. Whilst we still have a lot to learn about this, Dr Bates argues that this apparent reliance on elders has important consequences for conservation and management: losing knowledgeable individuals risks severely disrupting elephant society, which could have long-term implications for their continued survival.
Dr Lucy Bates studies the evolution of social skills and intelligence in mammals, particularly elephants. She holds a BA in Experimental Psychology and an MSc in Human Biology from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in chimpanzee behavioural ecology from the University of St Andrews. After conducting research exploring social cognition in savannah elephants, she worked with several elephant conservation organisations in southern Africa, before returning to academic research. She now has a Senior Lectureship at the University of Portsmouth.
