Incredible Discovery: Elephant’s Unexpected Ability Amazes Researchers at Berlin Zoo

The discovery of an elephant capable of showering with a garden hose shows the emotions and intelligence of these mammals.

An elephant capable of showering with a hose

In the German capital's zoo, scientists observed an elephant with a surprising ability. We can see in the videos published by the researchers Mary, an Asian elephant, capable of showering using a garden hose, a bit like a shower head, which she handles with her trunk. Techniques that differ depending on the part of the body she wishes to wash. For example, she grabs the hose a little further away and then swings it back to clean her back.

According to Dr. Michael Brecht, co-author of the study from Humboldt University in Berlin, this ability that Mary was able to develop can possibly be explained by the fact that the garden hose resembles a trunk, a part of the body that elephants already use to wash themselves.

Mary, the elephant who knows how to shower by herself, makes people jealous

Dr. Brecht says Mary is the only one of the zoo's four other elephants who can use the hose so easily. An advantage which allows Mary to have a longer shower time than that of the others by hogging the hose. She even comes to be possessive and does not hesitate to hit anyone who tries to take it away from her.

Anchali, a young elephant, has paid the price, but does not hesitate to take revenge. While all the elephants were trained not to step on the pipes, videos show the young female intentionally cut off her older sibling's water. In fact, it uses its trunk to grab and bend the pipe, which cuts off the water outlet. At the moment, there is no indication whether this is an act of jealousy or a simple prank, although researchers interpret this gesture as “a desire to sabotage Mary’s shower”.

Elephants among the most intelligent animals

“Have the memory of an elephant”. This expression, which we all know, shows how elephants are renowned for having an excellent memory. Indeed, they can travel long distances and return without worries, or even recognize and remember humans years later, without having seen them. But this is not the only intellectual quality in elephants.

Possessing the heaviest brain of land mammals (4 to 6 kg), they are capable of using tools, using their trunk as arms. It is not uncommon to see them imitate the sounds they hear, such as the noise of passing trucks. They can also bring out their artistic side by painting with a brush that they hold with their trunk or by producing music.

Source: TheGuardian