Wild Elephants Unlock Food Storage Puzzles, Showing Their Problem-Solving Ability

A recent study, titled "Innovating To Solve a Novel Puzzle: Wild Asian Elephants Vary in Their Ability to Problem Solve" published in the journal Animal Behaviour, explores the problem-solving abilities of wild Asian elephants. Over six months, researchers observed individual elephants in Thailand using motion-activated cameras to interact with puzzle boxes containing food.

This study sheds light on the varied problem-solving skills and willingness of these elephants, emphasizing the importance of understanding animal intelligence, particularly in rapidly changing environments impacted by human presence.

(Photo : Pixabay/Dariusz Labuda)
Wild Elephants Unlock Food Storage Puzzles, Showing Their Problem-Solving Ability

First Study To Prove Wild Elephants' Problem-Solving Skills

Lead author Sarah Jacobson, a psychology doctoral candidate at CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College, reveals that individual wild Asian elephants exhibit varying willingness and abilities to solve food-related puzzles.

In the study conducted at the Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand, researchers observed 77 wild Asian elephants using motion-activated cameras. The elephants encountered puzzle boxes with different compartments containing aromatic jackfruit, requiring independent problem-solving to access the food.

Elephants interacted with the puzzle boxes differently, with some pulling chains to open doors towards them, others pushing doors to swing open into the box, and some sliding doors open to the right. These interactions uncovered individual differences in problem-solving skills among the elephants.

Of the observed elephants, 44 engaged with the puzzle boxes over time, but there were variations in innovation and persistence. Those that interacted more frequently and persistently were generally more successful in retrieving food from all three differently configured compartments.

Specifically, 11 elephants solved one compartment type, eight solved two types, and five displayed the highest level of innovation by solving all three types. Dr. Joshua Plotnik, the study's principal investigator and a psychology professor at CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College, stressed the importance of understanding wild elephant cognitive flexibility and innovation.

This knowledge can have implications for conservation management and addressing the increasing human-elephant conflicts caused by habitat loss and agricultural encroachment.

How Smart Are Elephants?

Elephants possess remarkable intelligence with the largest brain among land animals and three times as many neurons as humans. While some of these neurons are dedicated to controlling their large and dexterous bodies, elephants have repeatedly showcased their impressive mental abilities. Below are some of examples when elephants displayed their intelligence:

Elephants can differentiate between human gender, age, and ethnicity based on voice. They react defensively to voices associated with potential threats.
Elephants have demonstrated tool usage, like using blocks to reach fruit or sticks for scratching and swatting flies.
Research suggests elephants can understand human pointing, choosing the correct container with food when pointed to.
Elephants display empathy, comforting distressed individuals through physical contact and vocal sounds.
Elephants exhibit behaviors resembling grief and mourning, caressing the remains of their kind and standing near deceased elephants for extended periods.
Some elephants can mimic human voices, as seen in the case of Koshik, an Asian elephant who could say words in Korean.
Elephants possess exceptional memories, recalling routes to watering holes over long distances and recognizing companions even after extended separations.