Elephants really are smarter than we believe. There have been multiple studies done over the years on elephants to measure their IQ and cognitive behaviours, all of which have come to the same conclusion – they’re much smarter than we believe.
The results of the studies show that elephants and thereby also wild elephants are capable of thinking, planning and remembering, all at a level not seen in almost any other species.
They also display behaviours that indicate they’re self-aware – something only humans and our closest relatives (chimpanzees, dolphins and others) are known to do. Read on to find out more!
Wie klug sind Elefanten?
A Studie von Dr. Joyce Poole, die 2006 in der Zeitschrift "Science" veröffentlicht wurde looked at the problem-solving abilities of elephants. Elephants were given a task in which they had to figure out how to get to a food reward that was hidden behind a door.
They were able to solve the problem and get to the food, and they worked out how to do it faster as time went on.
Eine weitere Studie, die von Dr. Joshua Plotnik durchgeführt und in der Fachzeitschrift "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" veröffentlicht wurde (PNAS) in 2011 studied an elephant’s ability to recognise itself in a mirror.
Many animals that live socially, such as dolphins, great apes and magpies, have been shown to recognise themselves when they look into a mirror.
However, elephants are not known for their sociality, except in some cases family groups.
This is why this 2011 study was so important – it shows that not only do they recognise themselves but are also able to see the reflection of other elephants, which was never before shown.
Elefanten haben ein größeres Gehirn als alle anderen Landtiere
Das durchschnittliche menschliche Gehirn wiegt etwa drei Pfund. Im Vergleich dazu wiegt das Gehirn eines Elefanten stolze 11-13 Pfund und ist damit das größte Gehirn aller Landsäugetiere.
Das Elefantengehirn ist äußerst komplex, und eine von Forschern der Universität Wien durchgeführte Studie zeigt, dass es eine ähnlich verschlungene Struktur wie das von Menschen und Schimpansen hat, was bedeutet, dass es besser ist als jeder Computer, den wir heute benutzen.
Elephants are able to understand that they’re separate from other elephants and can see them as separate individuals.
This was shown in the study mentioned above where elephants were able to see themselves in a mirror and also recognise other elephants.
They showed behaviours such as pointing their trunk at the other elephant in the mirror, which is something only human children do before they can talk.
Sie können die menschliche Körpersprache verstehen und menschliche Stimmen imitieren
In a study done by the University of Vienna in Austria in 2009, they showed that Asian elephants can understand what’s going on in a human’s head when we talk to them.
In this experiment, an elephant was trained to understand how humans communicate with each other through body language and was able to follow the human gaze and understand where he was looking.
In another study, done by the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, they showed that elephants can also mimic human voices.
They did this by playing recordings of human voices to elephants and found that the elephants would change their trumpeting sounds to match the sound of the human voice.
This is attributed to elephants understanding to identify languages.
Elefanten gehören zu den emotionalsten Lebewesen der Welt. Sie sind dafür bekannt, dass sie andere Tiere wie gefangene Hunde und Katzen retten.
Nancy Phillips
Elefant kann Werkzeuge benutzen
They can use tools, such as sticks to get at food that are not a part of their natural environment.
They’re also able to remember where they put the tools and how to use them.
They can form close-knit elephant family groups with deep social bonds, including friendships among females that last a lifetime.
Elephants have been known to help each other, especially the weak and sick members of their groups.
Sie können den Tod betrauern
In a study by a University of Chicago professor in 1986 that was published in the journal “Animal Behaviour”, they looked at how elephants responded to the death of a group member.
After the matriarch died, many of the females in the group would go to where she died and stand over her body for hours.
They would often smell, touch and visibly mourn the loss of their friend.
Elefanten können Selbsterkenntnis und Einfühlungsvermögen für andere zeigen
In a study done by Joshua Plotnik from 6 elephants were given the mirror test – to see if they could distinguish between their own reflection and that of another individual.
They did this by drawing an X on the mirror with chalk to see if they recognised themselves in the mirror.
Diesen Test hat nur ein Elefant bestanden, aber beim Rot-Punkt-Test - bei dem eine physische Markierung auf dem Kopf des Elefanten angebracht wird, ohne dass er es sieht - haben alle sechs Elefanten den Test bestanden, was zeigt, dass sie sich ihrer selbst bewusst sind und Empathie zeigen.
Elefanten können Schuld, Scham und Stolz zeigen
In a series of tests done by an Emory University professor from Atlanta from 1989 to 1991, it was shown that elephants have a sense of right and wrong.
In one experiment, it was shown that an elephant would refuse to continue a task if they were instructed to hit a rubber hose with their trunk, even when it came at the cost of food.
They also showed guilt by showing behaviours such as tucking their trunks between their legs and turning away from other elephants who could see the hose, which is what children do after they’ve done something wrong.
They also showed shame by becoming submissive and loose their postures.
Schlussfolgerung
Elephants are a fascinating species to study. In the past, they were thought of as dumb animals who could not do anything except for humans and now we know that’s far from the truth!
Elephants have demonstrated self-awareness and empathy which has been attributed to their ability to understand other languages in addition to their capacity for tool use.
They can also show guilt, shame and pride – all signs of a developed sense of right or wrong.
FAQ zur Elefantenintelligenz
Der Elefant ist eines der intelligentesten Lebewesen der Erde und kann viele neue Verhaltensweisen erlernen. Sie nutzen ihr Gehirn, um Probleme zu lösen, z. B. bei der Nahrungssuche, beim Einsatz von Werkzeugen und bei der Pflege kranker Familienmitglieder. Der tatsächliche IQ ist unbekannt.
Ja, Elefanten können Selbstbewusstsein und Einfühlungsvermögen für andere zeigen.
Es gibt viele Geschichten darüber, dass Elefanten verstehen, was Menschen sagen, und dass sie mit uns interagieren, aber es wurde nie gemessen, ob sie verstehen.
Ja, es gab ein paar Fälle, in denen einem Elefanten das Malen mit dem Rüssel beigebracht wurde.
Elefanten sind dafür bekannt, dass sie nie vergessen. Deshalb ist es wichtig, sie nicht zu verletzen, denn sie werden sich noch lange daran erinnern.
Es gibt keine Beweise dafür, dass Elefanten ein besseres Gedächtnis haben als Menschen, aber sie sind dafür bekannt, dass sie sich Dinge sehr lange merken können.
Eine Antwort auf "Elephants proving they’re smart and we can’t ignore it"
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