Asian elephants bury their calves with their legs poking out of the ground, researchers have observed. The calves were 1 year old or less and were transported to premade burials of sorts — irrigation drains on tea estates in India — by herd members, before being placed in holes and covered in soil.

In a study published Feb. 26 in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, researchers documented five calf burials among Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the eastern Himalayan floodplains of northern West Bengal.

Researchers have previously observed African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) performing burial practices, in which herd members cover their deceased companions and family members with branches and leaves. The new study provides the first record of Asian elephant burials and is the first known case of elephants using soil in burials, as well as specifically positioning the body. . . .All calf deaths were natural, relating to respiratory failure or infection, post mortem analysis showed.

After the burial, tea estate managers and villagers heard the elephants roaring and trumpetting. Roy believes these vocalizations were to "express agony and pain and to pay homage to the deceased calves."