It turns out that elephant's really do have a great memory. Not only that, but they are pretty good in math too. One pachyderm scored an 87 percent on his math test and his buddy scored a 69 percent. An animal behaviour scientist at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo tested the two using 2 buckets and a bushel of apples. During the test, 3 apples were dropped in one bucket and 5 in the one next to it. Without being able to see inside the bucket, the elephants would consistently reach for the bucket with more apples in it. Adding 4 more apples to the bucket, the big guy still chose the bucket with the most apples. Not only that, but they could tell the difference between 5 and 6 almost every time. The theory is that elephants need to know how to count as the herds move to guarantee that no calf is left behind. Linda is going to start working with me on math skills to see if I can pick the cup with the most cookie pieces in it.
