And the hose shower behavior was “lateralized,” with Mary preferring to target the left side of her body more than her right side. (Yes, Mary is a “left trunk.”) Mary also adjusted the way she showers depending on the diameter of the hose. She preferred showering with a 24mm hose over a 13mm hose and preferred using the trunk for her shower. Instead of a 32mm hose.
It’s unclear where Mary learned how to use a hose, but the authors suggest that elephants may have an intuitive understanding of how a hose works, as it resembles a trunk. “Bathering and exposure to water, mud, and dust are very common behaviors for elephants and are important not only for skin care but also for body temperature regulation,” the researchers wrote. “Mary’s behavior is consistent with other examples of elephant tool use related to body care.”
Perhaps even more intriguing was Anchari’s actions. Although Ms. Anchari did not use the hose to shower, she demonstrated complex movements when manipulating the hose, including lifting the hose, twisting it, grasping the kinks, and compressing the kinks. Especially in the latter case, the water flow often decreased while Mary was showering. Anchali eventually found a way to further disrupt the flow of water by placing her torso on top of the hose and lowering herself above it. A controlled trial was inconclusive as to whether Anchari intentionally sabotaged Mary’s shower. The two elephants were at odds and became aggressive towards each other when it was time for a shower. However, similar cognitively complex behaviors have been observed in elephants.
“When Anchari came up with the second action to block the flow of water to Mary, I was convinced that she was trying to sabotage Mary.” brecht said. “Do elephants in the wild play pranks on each other? When I first saw Anchali’s kink and clamp, I burst out laughing. So I wonder if Anchali also thinks this is funny? Is he just being mean?
Current Biology, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.017 (About DOI).
