Seven characteristics prove that elephants are extremely intelligent animals

Elephants are extremely intelligent animals. They have the largest brain of all the animals that live on land and three times as many neurons as humans. Meanwhile, many neurons exist only to control the giant body and elephant's ingenuity. Over a long period of time, this animal has been shown to have impressive and extremely intelligent abilities. Here are some interesting findings about the intelligence of elephants. Let's explore with us!

1. Can recognize languages

Researchers at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, found that African elephants can distinguish differences in sex , age and ethnicity through human voice sounds. If the voice is owned by a person capable of causing a threat to them, these elephants will switch to defensive mode.

To test this, the researchers found two Kenyan men from two different ethnic groups: the Maasai ( the Nilotic ethnic group selling nomadic living in Kenya and northern Tanzania ) and Kamba people. The Maasai have a history of hunting wild elephants, while the Kampa do not. The researchers recorded the voices of these two men, " Look, look, there is a group of elephants coming " in different languages ​​between the two peoples and turn on the recording for the elephants. family in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. When the elephants heard Maasai's voices, they all had signs of fear, cowering together and moving away from where the voice was coming from. However, the same saying, but because one Kamba said, the elephants did not react. " The ability to distinguish between Maasia and Kamba people when speaking the same sentence in their own language is believed that elephants can distinguish different languages, " co-author Graeme Shannon, one Exchange graduate student in psychology at the University of Sussex said.

There are also a number of other tests, which are recordings made by women and children in one of the two tribes that do not affect elephants, also suggesting that they not only distinguish between groups. ethnicity also distinguishes both age and gender, knowing that men are more likely to be dangerous, threatening their lives, especially Maasai men.

2. Know how to use tools

In 2010, a 7-year-old Asian elephant named Kandula impressed researchers by taking advantage of the tool from the surroundings to pick fruit when lying higher than its reach . After observing the fruit on the tree, for a few days these fruits fluttered teasingly to Kandula, so Kandula had " aha moment" - a moment of self-discovery. Kandula saw a large plastic box lying nearby, rolling them, one step at a time and standing on one foot high enough to be able to pick fruit from the tree. While Kandula's " Aha moment " did not achieve immediate results, Kandula was stuck with the fruit on the tree. Kandula continued to repeat that way by using another tool and even figured out how to put the blocks together so that she could reach higher.

Similarly, the elephant Kandula knew how to use sticks to scratch her when it was impossible to reach, by using branches or lying down on the grass. In other observations, another elephant digs a small hole to drink water and then covers that hole with a ball created from chewing the bark to prevent evaporation, saving for the first time. use later.

3. Understand body language

Researchers have recently observed evidence that elephants can understand human manual instruction. They tested this by pointing at food hidden inside one of the two identical boxes, after observing the two boxes, a group of imprisoned African elephants approached one. box. Without any previous training, these elephants correctly identified food containers that took about 68% of the time, 5% lower than the way a one-year-old performed similar tests. When the researchers stood between the two boxes and not only the instruction points, the elephants approached the containers randomly.

4. Express sympathy

A recent study observed that Asian elephants often comfort each other when suffering. The elephants in the study used both physical contact and sound as well as comfortable gestures, touching each other's body and making small chirps. The study concludes that this behavior is " best categorized with similar reactions comforting by gibbons, which can be based on convergent evolution of empathy ."

5. Wailing about the death of a fellow man

Elephants express emotions, or any other animal, understands death like humans. But elephants have demonstrated a clear reaction to the death of their fellow human beings, expressing emotions that often occur in humans such as grief and mourning. They caress the dead elephant's bones and will stand near that body for hours. Sometimes they try to bury the remains of the dead elephant. They do not behave like that to other animals. There is an emotional picture taken by photographer John Chaney for National Geographic, a female elephant " walking very slowly and showing sympathy when taking her body around the dead ivory. this posture for several hours . "

6. Imitate human voice

In 2012, an Asian elephant named Koshik made researchers confused when they could say five words in Korean . " If you look at the huge size of the elephant, the vocal tract of the throat and the different anatomy - for example, the elephant has a long hose instead of the lips like other animals . and a bar Big management really fits the coach's high voice, this is really remarkable , "said Dr. Angela Stoeger, the lead author of a study on Koshik published in Current Biology. Meanwhile, almost certainly Koshik does not understand the meaning of the words, scientists think that the Koshik elephant imitates this sound as a way to connect with humans, which is the only form of Koshik comes into contact with society during his adult years.

7. There is extraordinary memory

You probably already know this, but let's look at some specific examples. Elephants can remember the way to water reservoirs when they go through extremely long space and time. This is really necessary for elephants in the desert, where water is scarce. The study also found that elephants often form strong bonds with their humanity and can recognize friends and relatives even after long periods of separation. In 2011, Dr. Shermin de Silva, now director of the Uda Walawe Elephant Research Project in Sri Lanka, said: " Elephants can follow each other over large distances by calling each other and using their sense of smell. . Our research shows that they can recognize their friends and reconnect relationships even when separated for a long time . " In 1999, two elephants were named Shirley and Jenny, who once accompanied a circus, reunited at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after more than 20 years apart. Immediately their association is shown in the video above, back to their reunion.