An Asian elephant spotted bathing with a hose at a zoo in Germany showcases a remarkably complex skill.
The bathing behavior of elephant Mary. (Video: New Scientist).
A camera at the Berlin Zoo captured an elephant named Mary using a water hose to bathe, even lifting her legs to ensure every nook and cranny of her body was clean. Researchers described this as a sophisticated behavior in a paper published in the journal Current Biology. However, possibly out of jealousy for Mary’s adept self-cleaning skills, another elephant named Anchali attempted to interrupt by blocking the hose and obstructing the water supply to prevent her friend from bathing, Independent reported on November 8.
Both animals exhibited intentional tool use, according to a research team from Humboldt University in Berlin. This behavior was previously thought to be unique to humans, but has recently been observed in chimpanzees, crows, elephants, and many other species. Researcher Lena Kaufmann indicated that previous studies showed over 80% of observed tool use in elephants was related to body care. However, the water hose is a particularly complex tool due to its flexibility, ability to extend, and the flowing water.
“Mary’s skillful behavior with the water hose leads us to believe that elephants may have some visual understanding of hoses, possibly due to similarities with their trunks,” Kaufmann stated.
Mary holds the hose behind her head to use it like an overhead shower.
Anchali and Mary displayed aggressive behavior towards each other. Anchali pulled the hose towards herself and twisted it as she attempted to cut off the water supply. Researchers were surprised by Anchali’s behavior of blocking the hose. No one expected her to be clever enough to use such a trick. Elephants are usually trained to avoid stepping on hoses, so Anchali’s actions demonstrate that she intentionally obstructed Mary’s bathing.
Mary holds the hose behind her head to use it like an overhead shower. She also prefers to use the hose on her right side but can adjust her skills based on the type of hose. Therefore, the research team referred to Mary as the “queen of bathing.”
However, experts wonder whether elephants exhibit similar behaviors in the wild. They also cannot be certain if Anchali’s actions were motivated by jealousy or simply playful.
