Elephants' Incredible Intelligence | Wild Files with Maddie Moate | BBC Earth

Elephants. Weighing 7 tons and measuring more than 3 meters at the shoulder, the African elephant is the world's largest land mammal. But they are not just physically giant. They have the biggest brains of any land mammals too. Three times bigger than ours and weighing a whopping 5 kilograms, they're made up of around 300 billion neurons. That's three times more than humans. Do these huge brains translate into a heightened intelligence? What emotions do elephants feel? And why is the herd so important for their survival? We're going to explore the amazing behavior of these majestic animals and uncover why elephants pay more than a passing resemblance to ourselves. Elephants are one of the most intelligent animals on Earth. They're one of the few species who can recognize their own reflection, meaning they might even have a similar sense of self to us. Elephants have shown impressive emotional intelligence too. They perform consolation behavior, reassuring others in distress through soothing vocalizations and comforting gestures with their trunks. They also help each other in times of need and even appear to mourn the death of friends and family, just like humans. These behaviors can be seen in close-knit elephant families, usually made up of a dominant female or matriarch, her daughters and her calves. Showing altruism or selflessness, the family will all pitch in to help rear youngsters and protect them in times of danger. When threatened, they keep the more vulnerable babies in the center of the herd, forming a protective barrier against all predators. Somewhat surprisingly, elephants will often babysit for other mothers in the herd. In fact, it's an extremely important aspect of elephant life. It builds lifelong bonds and helps the herd to thrive. Mothers have even been found to adopt orphaned babies, letting them suckle and protecting them after their mothers have died. Some herds have adopted outsiders too, like a human family might do. Like humans, young elephants spend many years learning from their elders. They won't reach independence until they're 10 years of age, and there's a lot to learn. Elephants are masters of their environment. They can hear a rainstorm 150 miles away, picking up on the ultra-low frequencies. They've also been seen to self-medicate, for example, chewing the leaves of medicinal trees to induce labor. These are skills a baby must learn, and in turn pass on to the next generation. In fact, the saying, an elephant never forgets, is not so far from the truth. Elephant matriarchs have been known to remember watering holes used in droughts over 30 years ago. This vital knowledge can sometimes be a matter of life or death to the herd, and it's one of the keys to their survival. It's safe to say that the matriarch plays a vital role in the herd, so imagine the impact when they are poached for their ivory. Almost a third of Africa's elephants have been killed in the past 10 years alone. That's 100 elephants killed each day. But this pressure is changing elephants too. Poaching those with the largest tusks over hundreds of years means that today, tusks are shrinking. Scientists have noticed they are actually evolving to have smaller tusks. In fact, some are born without them altogether. Let's call for change and hope that we live to see a future free from poaching.