Elephants Show Their Clever Side with Hoses in New Research

A recent study highlights just how skilled elephants can be when it comes to handling tools. At Berlin Zoo, researchers observed three Asian elephants using a garden hose with surprising dexterity. Not only did the elephants expertly maneuver the hose to shower themselves, but they also appeared to playfully prank one another. For instance, they would interrupt the water flow by kinking or compressing the hose, disrupting their companions’ showers.

One elephant, Anchali, demonstrated five different ways to block the water, from repositioning the hose to regrasping kinks. This behavior, described as “sabotage-like” by Michael Brecht of Humboldt University, is rarely seen in other animals. The study also found that the elephants adopted creative techniques, such as holding the hose farther from the end to reach hard-to-shower areas on their bodies.

Interestingly, the elephants displayed a preference for certain sides of their bodies when showering, similar to humans being left- or right-handed. For example, an elephant named Mary used her trunk to clean her right side but relied on the hose for her left.

Brecht and his team believe the elephants’ expertise with hoses may be linked to the similarities between the flexible, sensitive trunk and the hose itself. Elephant trunks, among the most sensitive animal body parts, give these creatures remarkable precision in handling objects. “The research reiterates the idea that elephants show very sophisticated trunk behaviors,” Brecht said.

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