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http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20060930232859data_trunc_sys.shtml
Elephants have joined a small, elite group of species--including humans, great apes and dolphins--that have the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror, according to a new finding by researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York.

"We see highly complex behaviors such as self awareness and self-other distinction in intelligent animals with well established social systems," said Yerkes researcher Joshua Plotnik. "The social complexity of the elephant, its well-known altruistic behavior and, of course, its huge brain, made the elephant a logical candidate species for testing in front of a mirror."

I cant help but think that an elephant would have these capabilities, having viewed themselves while drinking water over god knows how many thousand years,(it's just an expression).
I'm no expert; in fact i'm an idiot, and not your everyday ordinary idiot; but a "stupid idiot".
However, I am genuinely intriged by the hypothesis that we (people) can possibly know how knowledgable, and intelectually articulte another species is; when we can't communicate thought.
Just asking.

Hiya m-,
Do you mean other animals have telepathy, when you say "we can't communicate thought," and that we don't have telepathy?
~samwik

m18275 wrote:
"I am genuinely intriged by the hypothesis that we (people) can possibly know how knowledgable, and intelectually articulte another species is; when we can't communicate thought."

First off stop the self-deprecation. It is neither flattering nor appropriate. Your question is a good one and the answer is that our answers are colored first and foremost by our sense of being so smart we can make judgments of this type.

It might even be a reasonable judgment to make were it not that men don't understand women, adults don't understand teenagers, and the entire world doesn't understand the President of the United States (but then I guess he truly is a stupid idiot).

Hi 18275,
One of the actual recognition experiments they used to test Elephants. Was to paint a mark, well back on the side of its head.
When the Elephant was in front of the mirror, it
attempted to rub it off using the end of its trunk

Elephants are very sensitive creatures and have been known to cry. They communicate using infra-sound (very low frequency) which we can't hear, up to five miles distance.

Dolphins have an excellent language, using high
speed chirping. A number of attemps have been made to decode their sounds by slowing it down,(in frequency) They are considered one of the most intelligent animals in the world.
A certain navy puts a harness on them, whereupon
they are trained to find a submarine (however deep), sidle up and attach a magnetic mine to the hull. They have also been trained to pick up
live ordenance and shells from the sea bed, using
mouth operated 'jaws'.

A nice study.

Much more impressive to me is that elephants can recognise the bones of their peers. I could not find a link on Google to support the claim but I have seen the real life demonstration specials on TV. Such shows as Nat Geo and the like. The elephants will spend time at the bone site in some display of interest.

There's info about this at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, The Elephant Debate , where UNEP Global 500 Laureate Daphne Sheldrick D.B.E writes:

"Like us, elephants 'bury' their dead, covering a body with sticks and leaves; they grieve and mourn a lost loved one as deeply as any human, returning to the remains to pay their respects periodically, and for years afterwards"