### Elephants and Tool Use: Mary’s Showering Abilities and Rivalry at the Berlin Zoo
In a captivating exhibition of intelligence and resourcefulness, an Asian elephant named Mary, residing at the Berlin Zoo, has been spotted utilizing a hose for her morning showers. This behavior, recorded in a recent study featured in *Current Biology*, underscores the extraordinary cognitive capabilities of elephants, especially regarding their tool usage. The study further uncovers a playful yet competitive relationship between Mary and another elephant, Anchali, who seems to have figured out how to interfere with Mary’s shower by obstructing the water flow.
#### Elephants and Tool Use: A Brief Overview
Tool usage has historically been regarded as an exclusively human characteristic, yet over time, researchers have documented a range of animals employing tools both in the wild and in captivity. Primates, dolphins, sea otters, and even birds such as crows and parrots have shown the ability to manipulate objects for specific outcomes. Elephants are no exception, as they have also been known to use tools, particularly for grooming. Wild and captive elephants alike have been noted using branches to swat away flies or alter items for various functions.
Mary’s actions at the Berlin Zoo contribute to this expanding body of evidence, illustrating that elephants are not only adept at using tools but can also modify them to fulfill particular needs.
#### The Queen of Showering: Mary’s Hose Skill
Mary, an Asian elephant originally from Vietnam, has risen to prominence in the Berlin Zoo’s elephant habitat. According to the research, Mary has perfected the technique of utilizing a hose for her shower, a behavior that astonished researchers. The zoo’s elephants are familiar with morning showers; however, Mary elevated the experience by seizing the hose with her trunk and spraying herself. Her showers generally lasted around seven minutes, and she would release the hose once the water was shut off.
Notably, Mary showcased a sophisticated comprehension of how to manipulate the hose depending on which part of her body she aimed to cleanse. For instance, she held the hose further from the end when spraying her back and nearer to the nozzle while showering her sides. This kind of tool adaptation mirrors behaviors seen in other intelligent species, such as New Caledonian crows, that adjust sticks to extract insects from tree bark.
Mary’s behavior also exhibited “lateralization,” indicating a preference for washing the left side of her body over the right. This hints that, similar to humans, elephants may possess a dominant side—Mary is notably a “left-trunker.”
#### Anchali’s Interference: A Rivalry Unfolding?
While Mary relished her hose showers, another elephant in the zoo, Anchali, appeared less than impressed. Anchali, the offspring of another elephant named Pang Pha, did not utilize the hose herself but displayed complex behaviors that seemed designed to disrupt Mary’s showers. Anchali was observed lifting the hose, twisting it, and even compressing the kink with her trunk to minimize the water flow. At times, she placed her trunk on the hose and lowered herself onto it, effectively halting the water supply.
The researchers performed control experiments to ascertain whether Anchali’s actions were intentional attempts to interfere with Mary, but the results remained inconclusive. Nonetheless, the two elephants had a documented history of aggressive interactions during shower times, leading some to theorize that Anchali’s conduct was purposeful. Co-author Michael Brecht of Humboldt University in Berlin noted, “When Anchali engaged in a second behavior that disrupted the water flow to Mary, I became pretty convinced that she is trying to sabotage Mary.”
This playful yet competitive behavior sparks intriguing inquiries into the social interactions of elephants. Do they play tricks on one another in their natural habitats? Is Anchali’s behavior an expression of humor, or is it simply spiteful? While the answers elude us, the study offers insight into the intricate cognitive and social behaviors of elephants.
#### Why Elephants Utilize Tools
The use of tools by elephants, particularly for grooming, likely relates to their need for thermal regulation and skin care. Washing and spraying themselves with water, mud, or dust are regular behaviors that assist elephants in cooling off and safeguarding their skin from sunlight and parasites. The researchers propose that Mary’s proficiency with the hose may arise from an intuitive grasp of how hoses function, given their resemblance to an elephant’s trunk.
The study also emphasizes the significance of individual differences in tool usage among elephants. While all the elephants at the Berlin Zoo utilized their trunks to spray water, only Mary took the additional step of employing the hose. This reflects revelations in other animal studies, where tool use behaviors can vary widely among individuals.
#### Conclusion
The scenario involving Mary and Anchali at the Berlin Zoo provides an intriguing glimpse into the intelligence and social dynamics of elephants. Mary’s capability to use a hose for showering showcases the remarkable cognitive abilities of these creatures, while Anchali’s possible interference introduces an additional layer of complexity.
