An elephant in a German zoo learned to peel a banana with its trunk. VIDEO
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A team of researchers recorded in the Berlin zoo how an elephant named Pang Pha uses his trunk for an atypical behavior – peeling bananas. She peels only the ripe brown fruits and does it faster than a human. This is stated in a study by a team of biologists led by professor of neurobiology Michael Brecht from Humboldt University, writes CNN. The Asian elephant that took part in the study was brought to a German zoo as a baby in 1987. “We brought the best banana we could find in Berlin to the zoo for weeks, and she always just ate it,” said Michael Brecht, professor of neurobiology at Humboldt University in Berlin and senior author of the study. Elephant Pang Pha. Photo: CNN According to him, scientists gradually realized that the elephant peels only brown fruits, and eats yellow ones with the skin. When Pang Pha peels a banana, the scientist points out, she doesn’t break the stem and peel off the sides one by one. Instead, the animal uses its trunk to tear open the skin, then throws the banana to the ground to free it. Michael Brecht added that there are cases when the animal still eats bananas whole. In particular, it does this very quickly when it is with other elephants. But when she has only one banana left, she will save it, peel it and eat it later. Researchers have not yet found out why the elephant peels bananas. It is assumed that this may be related to their taste, the ease of cleaning bananas at different stages of ripeness, or the animal may copy its caretaker. According to Michael Brecht, the ability of elephants to adapt to different behaviors is related to their long life span. Sometimes it is more than 80 years. To survive for so long, animals need to be able to respond to new experiences and remember them, the scientist said. Education is “an integral part of their lives”. Cloniha in the process of cleaning a banana. Photo: CNN Michaela Brecht says that given the challenges elephants face, including habitat destruction and human subjugation, the animals’ ability to learn can be an added advantage. According to him, this research can have a positive impact on people’s understanding of how intelligent elephants are and need protection. It will be recalled that a chihuahua living in Florida was recognized as the shortest dog in the world and entered into the Guinness Book of Records. Read also: Poland has updated the rules for importing animals from Ukraine: what has changed
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