SIZE DOESN'T ALWAYS MATTER

According to a study cited in the February 2006 issue of Monitor on Psychology, "Asian elephants do not show insight." The article indicates that, "despite possessing the largest brain of all land mammals, Asian elephants fail to glean the underlying purpose of tasks and instead follow training in a rote manner" (p. 13).

Thankfully, this finding does not apply to African elephants. For example, when African elephants were asked why it is important for them not to poop where they sleep, over 85% gave the correct answer (property values are lower in high-poop grasslands). Indeed, the African elephants interviewed for this study were dismayed that most Americans don't know that the mascot of the Republican party is the Asian pachyderm, not the African one.