We have known for a long time that the matriarchs in herds have passed on critical information to others in that herd. It's a logical thing, considering humans as mammals do the same. We look to our parents to pass on their experiences to us, and they craft and shape how we think as we grow up. Sadly, sometimes for humans that is a bad thing. It has to be said!

We know that the elderly non-reproductive females in a pod of killer whales will do the same thing. Their extended family stays together and the young males leave their mothers side for brief periods when another viable pod is near by for mating Only to return once they've mated.

So it won't come as a surprise that not only do the female matriarchs of a herd of elephants do the same, which we have again known for a long time, but also in the bachelor herds too. The older male in charge of the young bulls who have left the safety of their paternal herds will pass critical information on to the young elephants.

It really puts the issue of poaching big tusked Elephant in to sharp focus. Over the years, many of the "Big Tuskers" have been taken out for the Ivory trade, and also for the insane general hunting communities. No amount of justification can be levied for this. If you want to read more you can do so at the link below.

A recent published research paper has confirmed this. The research can be found on Nature.com (Click Here)[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70682-y].