Ever Seen A Drunk Elephant?

Elephants are incredibly intelligent. They have very large brains. Even when scaled down to size, they have brains much larger than most other mammals. They have created some of the most complicated social structures in the animal kingdom.

One indication of intelligence is altruism; that is the self sacrifice for the good of the whole herd. Elephants are famous for their altruism in protecting their young, and this is only one of the many characteristics that make them amazingly intelligent.

Elephants have been known to medicate themselves when sick by chewing the leaves of specific trees depending on their illness. They also bury their dead in a ceremonial way; the only other species on Earth to do so besides humans.

They are known to get drunk on occasion. They will ignore marula fruits on the ground, opting to eat those off the tree until there is enough of the fermented fruit on the ground and will then eat the whole lot to leave them staggering around. It is not unusual for them to uproot young trees and telegraph poles in this condition. A very human trait; is it not?

Elephants are very playful, which helps them to develop dexterity and special reasoning. Their nimble trunks can be used to manipulate tools, including paintbrushes, which elephants have been trained to use in creating remarkable pieces of art. Circus elephants are known to take a sugar cube out of their trainers’ pockets without breaking it.

They can recognize themselves in mirrors, and, when marked, can immediately see something new has been added to their appearance. To have enough self awareness to recognize a reflection as being the self is the sign of true intelligence. Elephants do look at themselves in a pool of water before drinking. I suppose if they could socialize on marulas then they could be vain as humans as well.

Another strange thing about the elephant is the internal testicles. It is not external as with other mammals. I guess nobody is going to kick him in the balls.




Have a wonderful day!