March 2011 PMID 21383191

Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task.

Joshua M Plotnik, Richard Lair, Wirot Suphachoksahakun, Frans B M de Waal

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Mentions

Peak: 5 in Jul 2023

across 3 sources since Jan 2020

Extended reach

3,741,529

potential audience

Total likes

102,863

Video views

3,717,033

Mentions per month

Jan 2020 – Jul 2025

Where it's discussed

X / Twitter11 posts
Bluesky3 posts
YouTube2 videos

AI synopsis

What people are saying

This collection of discussions evidences a positive reception towards the research, with expressions of fascination like 'fun to read' and comments praising the study’s approach, using words like 'interesting' and 'fascinating.' The tone emphasizes curiosity and acknowledgment of elephants' social intelligence, reflecting a moderate but meaningful impact on perceptions of animal cognition.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions support the idea that elephants demonstrate advanced cooperative skills, indicating general agreement.

InterestHigh interest

Participants find the research intriguing, with comments highlighting the fascinating nature of elephant cognition.

EngagementModerate engagement

Comments reference specific aspects of the study, such as cooperation and cognition, showing moderate engagement.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions suggest the research could influence understanding of animal intelligence, though it's still early to judge high impact.

Abstract in brief

Elephants are believed to be highly intelligent, but there has been limited direct evidence of their cooperative abilities due to challenges in studying them.
Researchers adapted a cooperation experiment similar to one used with primates, and found that Asian elephants can learn to work together by pulling a rope simultaneously to get a reward, showing they understand the need to coordinate.
The elephants also demonstrated patience by waiting if their partner was delayed and recognized when a partner wasn't involved, indicating they understand the role of cooperation, potentially putting their social skills on par with chimpanzees.]

Read the full abstract

All mentions

Exploring the Sensitivity of Elephant Trunk Whiskers

Elephants possess highly sensitive trunk whiskers, particularly at the tip, aiding their manipulative abilities. This video delves into the anatomy and functionality of these specialized structures, highlighting…

Ze Frank · Jul 21, 2023 3,717,018 views

Exploring the Unique Anatomy of Elephant Trunk Whiskers

This video delves into the fascinating anatomy of elephant trunk whiskers. Elephants possess highly sensitive whiskers, particularly at the trunk tip, which aids in their manipulative abilities. Discover how these…

AI Tech Info 25 · Jul 30, 2023 15 views

Light and Shadow

@__Yin_and_Yang_ · X

RT @__Yin_and_Yang_: @ReynoldsWolf @AuburnU @EliManning @AuburnTigers @espn @NFL https://t.co/ZeXdWwaXNM A study of elephants has found th…

Jul 8, 2025 · 1 share · 2,557 followers View post →

Light and Shadow

@__Yin_and_Yang_ · X

Jul 8, 2025 · 1 like · 1 share · 2,557 followers View post →

Agrivane

@agrivane.bsky.social · Bluesky

A great edutainment video about Elephants from ZeFrank. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvOr1-P6XR8)

Jul 24, 2023 · 3 likes View post →

Ieda Marcondes

@iedamarcondes.com · Bluesky

Achei que vocês gostariam de ver este elefantinho no útero. É deste vídeo aqui: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvOr1-P6XR8

Jul 22, 2023 · 6 likes View post →

ivacheung.com

@ivacheung.com · Bluesky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvOr1-P6XR8

Jul 21, 2023 View post →

mockpate

@mockpate · X

RT @Sakaguchi920: この動物2個体の紐引き協力行動の解釈がよくわからなくて。他者が紐を持っている時に自己が紐を引っ張るような学習以上に意味があるのかどうか。例えば他個体がロボットだとして同様にこの協力行動が達成された場合、それは協力なのか？単に道具的学習なのか？…

Oct 23, 2022 · 1 share · 365 followers View post →

Sakaguchi Yukitoshi

@Sakaguchi920 · X

Oct 23, 2022 · 2 likes · 1 share · 389 followers View post →

Susan Kang

@sus_kang_ · X

#39canimals this will be my second of my Big Three. The experiment was fun to read and taught me about cognition in elephants working with one another as a team https://t.co/pHzYzQgRWt

Jul 28, 2022 · 26 followers View post →

Ji Wang

@JiWang34870818 · X

Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences https://t.co/hibyMeNPjM #39canimals The research article is about elephants' cooperative ability and suggests the elephant shows an understanding of cooperation.

Jul 27, 2022 · 1 like · 26 followers View post →

Kai Fujimoto

@KaiFujimoto18 · X

#39canimals Check out this research study on cooperation in elephants from Joshua Plotnik. The study explained it used a modified testing setup initially used for testing cooperation in chimpanzees. https://t.co/9KkqsQ5QPo

Jul 13, 2022 · 1 like · 20 followers View post →

@aiia_e · X

A research study "Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task" by Joshua Plotnik, regards comparative cognition of elephants, specifically studying cooperative abilities of elephants. #39canimals

May 6, 2021 · 97 followers View post →

だいひこ

@daihiko · X

RT @hideman2009: 象の共同行為の論文！ Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task https://t.co/oTydJMyjWH 実験の動画！！ https://t…

Jan 11, 2020 · 3 shares · 8,843 followers View post →

hideyuki takahashi

@hideman2009 · X

象の共同行為の論文！ Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task https://t.co/oTydJMyjWH 実験の動画！！ https://t.co/SWZdzRatE6

Jan 11, 2020 · 3 likes · 3 shares · 6,576 followers View post →

Hiraishi Kai

@kaihiraishi · X

Elephants know when they need a helping trunk in a cooperative task https://t.co/bFqV0xQX9d #犬会

Jan 11, 2020 · 2 likes · 3,020 followers View post →