The largest groups of elephants are found roaming the plains of Africa and Asia. Over the grasslands, they are on a constant search for water, facing many challenges along the way. So just how good is an elephant’s memory? Let’s take a look at how they use their cleverness to find resources, avoid danger, and lead their herds to safety.
How Do Elephants Use Their Memories?
In the challenging terrain of sub-Saharan Africa, elephants use their exceptional intellect to remember details that are key to individual and, more importantly, group survival. Elephants are extremely social animals. Herds are made up of closely-related females and their young and can be made up of up to 20 individuals. Scientists have reported complex social dynamics, cooperative care, and emotional depth—some elephants have even been seen mourning the deaths of companions.
Memory is especially important for matriarchs, a herd’s leader. They are the ones responsible for guiding their herds through droughts or protecting the herd from predators. In addition, they have to keep in mind migration routes and previous dangers. Other elephants within the herd use their memories to raise young. Mothers recall parenting strategies from their own upbringing and will pass on these behaviors to their offspring.
Does An Elephant Really Never Forget?
The impressive memories of elephants have earned them the saying, “Elephants never forget”. Over the years, research has shown just how important this trait is to their survival and behaviors. While no animal brain can truly recall all information over a lifetime, elephants have demonstrated a remarkable ability to recall facts, individuals, and even experiences.
Currently, there is no conclusive data on just how far into the past an elephant’s memory can reach, but a recent study revealed they can recall facts from over a decade ago. In the investigation, elephants were offered the chance to interact with sounds and scents from human caretakers. Then 13 years later, they were presented with the original caretakers and unfamiliar keepers. Amazingly, the elephants showed a much higher interest in their original caretakers who possessed familiar sensory cues. While the sample size was small, the findings suggested that elephants can store and retrieve memories across long spans of time.
Elephants Remember More Than Just Faces
The astonishing memory of an elephant extends beyond just recognizing faces. They rely on sounds and olfactory (scent) cues too! Two elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary, Shirley and Jenny, showed just this in 1999 when the two elephants met at the sanctuary. At their first meeting, the recognition was almost immediate. They made vocalizations and physical gestures that normally only elephants that know each other would make. Turns out, these two had met over 20 years ago in a traveling circus!
Shirley and Jenny showed the extent of an elephant’s memory and shed light on their ability to feel emotional bonds. The reunion was filled with clear signs of joy and connection. They would rest side by side and interact constantly, as if they had spent all the years together. Their intimate relationship illustrates that the elephants didn’t just recognize each other, but they still clearly cared for the other.
The Human Vs The Elephant Brain
Elephant brains are massive, pretty much larger than those of any other land animal. It can weigh up to 11 pounds—much more than the 3-pound human brain. The human brain though has an elephant’s beat when it comes to the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and language (the cerebral cortex). This translates to better abstract problem solving, long-term planning, and the ability to communicate by speech.
On the other hand, relative to brain size, elephants actually have a more developed hippocampus than humans. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is used for emotion and memory formation. It allows elephants to remember distant places and form strong ties with the other members of their herd. Furthermore, elephants have a large and intricate temporal lobe, which facilitates hearing and auditory processing. This may explain why elephants can distinguish between hundreds of different vocal calls.
Other Animals with Stellar Memories
Elephants are often in the spotlight, known for their intelligence, but they are not alone when it comes to animals with robust memories. Crows and ravens are also powerhouses in memory and brainpower. They can remember and identify the faces of humans for years, especially when they are associated with a threat or gentleness. Even more impressively, they can inform others in their group. So it’s best not to get on the bad side of a raven; they’ll tell their friends about you too!
Dolphins are also incredibly smart. Bottlenose dolphins, in particular, have been shown to recognize the whistling noises of other dolphins even after 20 years of separation. These whistles are like names. Dolphins use them to call out to specific individuals and get their attention in the wild.
Even dogs—man’s best friend—display excellent emotional and spatial memory. They can remember routines, people, and places. Some are even capable of episodic memory, the kind of memory that allows an animal to recall past events with details.
