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Normally, elephants eat bananas whole, skin and all, but one elephant at the Berlin Zoo likes to peel some of her bananas first — a skill researchers believe she learned from watching humans, shining more light on the incredible cognitive abilities of elephants.
Scientists argue that elephants could be the only non-primate animal that is self-domesticated and they think the Asian elephant peeling a banana is just another proof. Read the article to learn more.
The female elephant most likely learned the unusual peeling behavior from watching her caretakers peel bananas for her, the study authors report. The findings in a single elephant show that elephants more broadly have special cognitive and manipulative abilities, they say.
Despite the fact that she only appears to peel certain bananas, the Asian elephant Pang Pha most likely learned the skill by seeing humans.
An elephant at the Berlin Zoo can use her trunk to peel bananas, an unusual behavior she engages in only when conditions are ripe.