Asian elephants can't do trigonometry, but they can comprehend and use numbers, new research confirmed.

Previous studies have shown other mammals posses a basic understanding of numbers. But such arithmetic relies on imprecise estimates of quantity, not the use of absolute numbers.

"Their performance on numerical tasks is affected by the distance, magnitude, and the ratio of comparisons," researchers wrote in their new paper, published Monday in the Journal of Ethology.

Asian elephants, however, boast unprecedented numerical competence.

Scientists in Japan attempted to replicate the results of previous numerical competence experiments, this time using a 14-year old Asian elephant named Authai as the test subject. Researchers first trained Authai to use a touch screen. Once Authai was trained, researchers presented her with a relative numerosity judgment task.

For the task, cards with varying numbers of bananas, watermelons and apples were juxtaposed on the screen. Authai was trained to touch the tip of her trunk to the card on the screen with the greater number of items.

To determine whether Authai confused greater numbers with greater surface area coverage, researchers varied the size of some items. For example, a card featuring three large bananas might be placed alongside a card with 10 small bananas.

Authai correctly picked the card with the larger number of items 66.8 percent of the time. For each correct selection, Authai was rewarded with food.

"We found that her performance was unaffected by distance, magnitude, or the ratios of the presented numerosities, but consistent with observations of human counting, she required a longer time to respond to comparisons with smaller distances," researcher Naoko Irie said in a news release. "This study provides the first experimental evidence that nonhuman animals have cognitive characteristics partially identical to human counting."

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

S.Africa divers risk all to poach marine delicacies for China diners
Cape Town (AFP) Oct 19, 2018
One Saturday night in August, Deurick van Blerk, 26, climbed into his small boat off the coast of Cape Town on another of his illegal fishing expeditions. He never returned. Investigators are looking into allegations by fellow divers and his family that he was murdered, shot by a special task force during an anti-poaching operation in an increasingly violent battle between South African authorities and illegal hunters of abalone shellfish and rock lobster. Abalone is a delicacy prized in Hong Ko ... read more