Kandula is a young Asian elephant that lives at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington D.C. He is very clever! Scientists have been watching Kandula solve a problem in a way never before seen in elephants. Scientists have attached pieces of fruit to a branch of a tree that is out of reach for the little elephant. Kandula did something different from other elephants he instead, rolled a plastic box so that is sat underneath the branch. He then stood on the box and lifted his trunk and easily pulled the branch down and ate a yummy piece of fruit. Elephants have very good memory and they can use simple tools. Insight is the ability to solve the problem in a flash. In previous tests elephants showed no signs of insight. Preston Foerder a comparative psychologist at the City University of New York was a part of a team who were looking for elephant insights. He designed some very tricky problems for Kandula and to other elephants at the zoo. These elephants usually live in tropical rainforests so they solve regular problems in their lived. The challenge for scientist was seeing whether the animals complete tasks by trial and error, by watching animals or by quickly realizing the solution on their own. First the scientists placed trays of fruit outside the animals enclose. The food was just out of reach. But they also placed some sticks nearby. The elephants tried but they failed they never used sticks to draw the food closer. But the elephants did use the sticks for beating the against the walls, floor, and also there toys. Then they put the fruit on the trees and brought out a box and a stick. Kandula tried 7 times to get the fruit but then failed. But then it stuck him that he could move the box and stand on it. So he did that and solved the puzzle. But other elephants where not able to do what Kandula did. So maybe elephant’s brains are able to make easier connections amount bits of information.
Again I wanted to do a topic about what I am learning about in class. But I decided to go to a different website this time. I went to "Science news for Kids". And I found the article about Kandula the smart little elephant. What grabbed my attention is first I just really love elephants it is my favorite animal. Also I had connection with it when I went to the zoo in Berlin Germany first it was snowing and at the elephants enclosure the big pool of water was all frozen and the elephants where braking int and then sucking on the ice and it made me think how smart they are. So I agree with this thing of elephants having insight because its true a small baby elephant was able to fix a problem that not many other elephants can do I do believe that is is true. So this is my current event for this week.
Bibliography
"An Elephant’s “aha!†Moment | Science News for Kids." Science News for Kids | Publication of the Society for Science & the Public. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.
By September 7, 2011
This sounded awesome and entertaining. I knew that elephants have good memories but I didn't know that they are so clever. I did find out from Helen that there was an elephant that could paint. Maybe elephants are really clever. You never know if they'll one day answer a cellphone!
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