Photograph courtesy Foerder/Reiss, CUNY
Elephant Makes a Stool—First Known Aha Moment for Species
Eureka! Burst of insight may redefine elephant intelligence.
ByKer Than
August 21, 2011
In an apparent flash of insight, a young Asian elephant in a zoo turned a plastic cube into a stool—and a tool—a new study says.
That eureka moment is the first evidence that pachyderms can run problem-solving scenarios in their heads, then mentally map out an effective solution, and finally, put the plan into action, researchers say.
Video: Kandula the Elephant's Aha Moment
Correction to video title: Action shown is not first instance of Kandula exhibiting this behavior.
