Elephants Memory Is Guided By Intelligence And Remembering Faces For Its Survival

Elephants are seen ahead of 'World Wildlife Day' in Maasai Mara natural habitat of Kenya on March 02, 2023. Elephants can remember an experience from when they were a baby throughout their whole life. GERALD ANDERSON/SWNS TALKER

Elephants really do never forget a face – even after 12 YEARS, according to new research.

Their legendary memories are even better than previously thought, say scientists.

An elephant in an undisclosed location. When they caught a whiff from a family member they made rumbling sounds, flapped their ears – and continued to have a good sniff. NAM ANH/SWNS TALKER

The largest land mammals can recall a relative they haven’t seen in more than a decade – just from the smell of their poo.

When they caught a whiff from a family member they made rumbling sounds, flapped their ears – and continued to have a good sniff.

Lead author Franziska Horner, of the University of Wuppertal, believes such reactions are linked to positive emotions.

She said: “That was amazing and really intense. We were sure they do remember – and they know exactly what they are smelling there.”

Her team carried out the unusual experiments during reunions between mothers and daughters at zoos in Germany.

One pair had been separated for two years and the other 12 years. Horner collected fecal samples – hauling the stinking stools round in her tiny car.

When they encountered heaps of feces from unrelated elephants – either those in the same zoo or unfamiliar individuals – the four elephants sniffed the dung piles and walked away.

But when presented with a sample from the mother or daughter they were due to be reunited with, the female elephants repeatedly sniffed the samples and showed a variety of reactions, reports New Scientist.

The sample size was small but it would be cruel to do similar tests on elephants that weren’t being reunited, explained Horner.

An elephant drinking water out of a lake. Elephants can remember an experience from when they were a baby throughout their whole life. GERAN DE KLERK/SWNS TALKER

Dr. Joshua Plotnik, of Hunter College in New York who wasn’t involved in the study, said: “I am not surprised that elephant have memories, especially in social contexts, that last a long time.”

Elephants live in groups that split up and come back together over long periods of time.

But Plotnik says the experiment may not be a true test of memory.

There may be scent cues common to all kin that can trigger recognition not linked to memory.

Presenting the elephants with a slew of other smells would help make sense of their responses.

Elephants can remember an experience from when they were a baby throughout their whole life.

They have some of the largest brains in the animal kingdom. Their intelligence is key to survival in the wild.

Produced in association with SWNS Talker