Elephants have a wonderful memory: Do you know why?
All of you must have heard the coinage, elephantine memory, isn’t it? Well, this phrase is derived from the fact that elephants have a wonderful memory. These amusing, giant animals can remember their herd members, specific places and even demonstrate survival strategies, thanks to their amazing cerebral capacity. Let us find out all the amazing things an elephant’s brain can do!
The secret behind their excellent memory
Elephants have the largest brains among all mammals, weighing a whopping 4.7 kilos in adults. But we can't assess how effectively a brain works purely based on its size. Elephant’s brain mass is far superior to ours. So, what makes their brain so extraordinary?
Examining an animal's encephalization quotient (EQ) is one method used to assess its intelligence. Encephalization is the ratio of an animal's brain mass to its overall body mass. To better understand this, consider an apple and avocado of the same size. Although both have almost similar sizes, an apple contains small seeds whereas an avocado has seeds that resemble the size of golf balls (in this case, the seed size represents brain size!). The theory is that higher the brain-to-body mass ratio (think avocado), smarter the animal and vice versa.
Humans have an EQ of 7.44, whereas elephants have an EQ of 1.87, which is outstanding! Why? Because elephants have EQs that are comparable to chimpanzees (EQ of 2.5). Since humans have descended from chimps, their brains are surprisingly like ours in many ways. Hold on, there's more!
The brain is divided into various sections. Cerebral cortex is the brain's outermost structure, whereas the hippocampus is a small extension of the brain. Elephants have a well-developed cerebral cortex as well as hippocampus, which is involved in willpower and problem-solving. Hence, given these characteristics of their brains, it’s no wonder that elephants have an extraordinary memory.
How does their excellent memory help elephants?
Well, an elephant can prepare for a danger well in advance, thanks to their capacity of using experiences that are stored in the brain as memories. For example, if they experienced drought in childhood, they may be able to detect the threat in a specific location by making a mental connection with the childhood memory already engraved in its brain. So, now, you must have understood why elephant groups with a large proportion of elderly individuals have greater survival rates.
Also, they can identify every individual in their group. This prevents them from getting lost in unfamiliar regions. Elephants can recall important locations (such as potential supplies of food and water) even if they haven't been there in years or decades. Not just that, these gentle, giant animals can also remember other animals that have made a lasting impact on them. For instance, it has been found that when two elephants who had worked together in a circus, reconnected more than 20 years later, they were able to instantly recognise one another. Their ability to remember memories is not restricted to only elephants. They have even been observed to develop bonding with humans whom they had just met briefly decades before.
The incredible brain of elephants
Elephants not only have an excellent memory, but several of them have other incredible abilities too. Unbelievable as it may seem, elephants can understand simple maths. For example, if you place a bunch of 10 bananas in front of an elephant and then remove two five minutes later, it will suspect something is wrong! This is not all! Elephants are excellent communicators too! They employ various body positions, vocalisations and rumbles that other elephants can hear miles away!