Joanna James
August 12th was World Elephants Day. And who does not love the gentle pachyderms? Naturally gentle and docile by nature these animals are fascinating creatures to observe. Here are some fun facts.
An elephant will know every member of its herd; no matter how large the numbers are. Best of all they can guess who is who by either sight or smell; giving adage to the term 'smell you later'. This is probably why one would say an elephant never forgets – his family.
Another reason why elephants are lauded for their excellent memory is the fact that an elephant will remember a location long after visiting it and will manage to make its way back. Also an elephant is smart enough to recognise dangerous situations and stay away from it.
Here's the best fact of all; an elephant will recognise an elephant met before - even outside of its pack. For example it was noted that 2 circus elephants on meeting each other 25 years later, rejoiced at the reunion. The same rule applies to humans that elephants have bonded with bringing to mind Tarzans trusted old ride. Of course if bonding with an elephant is your passion, consider visiting an elephant camp Thailand for instance; there the Chiang Rai region home to Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort; is where the Ruak and Mekong Rivers meet. The area is framed by hills bordering Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
An elephant boasts an IQ on par with an intelligent chimpanzee. In fact an elephant's brain is the largest amongst land mammals; it is quite impressive in size compared to the animal's body mass. This analysis is termed as 'en-cephalization quotient'.
That's right; an elephant has a similar brain to us humans. Neurons and synapses are quite similar while an elephant's brain has a highly developed cerebral cortex.
Yes like us humans an elephant unfortunately is just one of the few non-humans to suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder. So make an effort to understand your fellow elephants.
Having a large cerebral cortex mean elephants are excellent problem solvers. No conundrum is too complex for this mammal which comes up with creative solutions to any problem.
An elephant has a basic understanding of arithmetic. So don't try hiding those extra peanuts an elephant knows how much was there and what's missing. Keeping track of relative quantities is a breeze for this smart giant.
An elephant will communicate using body language as well as infrared rumbles! These rumbles are audible for several kilometres.
An elephant has the ability to understand and recognise up to 12 musical tones. In fact the animal can create its own melodies. Probably by trumpet – pun intended!
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