There was also more social interaction within the younger age group than among the older males, as evidenced by greetings and fighting at the start and at the end respectively. late adolescence. In social situations, all animals preferred to be near an older individual, usually a male over 36 years old. The researchers therefore conclude that social groupings and behaviors are important characteristics in the life of an adolescent male elephant, because they allow him to learn essential skills to increase his reproductive success. Additionally, mature bulls are valuable sources of social and ecological information that play a role comparable to that of the matriarch (the oldest female leader of a breeding herd) for singles.