Scientists have long known that elephants are clever. They can solve problems, they talk to each other, and they have long memories. But researchers were surprised at the way two Asian elephants recently showed off their understanding of an unusual tool – a hose.
Elephants are known for using tools. They have been seen using tree branches to swat flies. Despite their huge size, they’re also able to peel bananas.
Now researchers report that a clever Asian elephant named Mary has learned how to shower herself using a hose. That may not seem amazing, but one of the scientists involved points out that for animals, a hose – a flexible tube with running water coming out of the end – is “very complex”.
(Source: Urban et al., [CC-BY-NC-ND], Current Biology.)
Elephants spend a lot of time taking care of their skin. They often roll in the mud, or spray themselves with water. But of all the elephants in the Berlin Zoo, only 54-year-old Mary has learned how to shower with a hose. And she does it well. Michael Brecht, who helped write the recent report, describes Mary as “the queen of showering”.
Mary has learned to grab the hose in different ways to clean different parts of her body. She grabs the end of the hose to clean areas she can reach easily. But when Mary wants to wash her back, she grabs the hose a few feet away from the end. This allows her to swing the hose up to spray water over her back with a movement like a lasso.
(Source: Urban et al., [CC-BY-NC-ND], Current Biology.)
Anchali is a 12-year-old Asian elephant who often gets sprayed down by zoo workers in the area next to Mary. Anchali has also learned about hoses. But she doesn’t use a hose to shower. Instead, she has figured out how to make the water stop coming out of Mary’s hose.
While the researchers were watching Mary one day, they were surprised to notice Anchali grabbing Mary’s hose, folding it into a sharp bend, and then squeezing it tightly. The water from Mary’s hose stopped.
(Source: Urban et al., [CC-BY-NC-ND], Current Biology.)
Managing the hose in this way with an elephant’s trunk is tricky. But in time, Anchali got better at it, and she did it more and more. In fact, she even figured out another way to stop the water – by pushing down on the hose hard with her trunk.
Anchali learned these tricks soon after Mary had been mean to her. That made the scientists wonder if Anchali was trying to get back at Mary by ruining her shower. “It’s something we would really like to know – does she think it’s funny?” said Dr. Brecht.
(Source: Urban et al., [CC-BY-NC-ND], Current Biology.)
They tried to test the idea by putting two hoses near Anchali at the same time. They thought she might try to squeeze the hose that Mary was using. Instead, Anchali seemed to grab whatever hose was closest to her. The researchers say Anchali may not have been able to figure out which hose was Mary’s.
Both elephants show clever use of a complex tool. But it will take more research to learn whether Anchali is playing her tricks on purpose.