Elephants are amongst the smartest animals and here's why

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Elephants are amongst some of the largest animals on Earth, but their body is not the only thing that's the biggest, they have the biggest brains of any land animal that exists.

It's not just a large piece of meat in their heads, it has given them special capabilities that other mammals don't have. Their large brains help them think better, remember more and for a surprisingly long time, and also learn effectively.

The Orangutan in my opinion is hands down the smartest, but if we are to rate, the elephant is pretty close. Their brains are highly developed, especially the parts that control memory and also emotions. You'd be surprised the kind of emotional connection and bond an elephant can exhibit.

Because of the powerful memory function, Elephants are able to remember places, faces and even people for so many years. When they're in the wild, they can remember water holes and safe paths or directions even after decades.

They use this brilliant memory function to lead their herd safely through dangerous or dry areas.

You could also see their problem solving skills in action. They can take a stick with their trunks to scratch themselves. You'd think that's basic but have you seen a got get itchy? It just rubs its body on rough surfaces, the elephant wouldn't bother because it knows better.

They've got clever ways of working with their trunks to get the food or water they want.

Elephants are one of the animals people in Zoos and Circuses train a lot and it's because of how smart they are, that they can be trained to pull of tricks that amazes an audience. Elephants have learned to use tools which is a rare skill in animals.

They show strong emotions like happiness, sadness and even grief. Two elephants practiced with their caregiver to do jump ropes. They tied the rope to each other's trunk and knew how to swing for the caregiver to jump over.

When it comes to grieve and mourning, when an elephant dies, the others would touch the body and they look like they're mourning for the dead elephant.

Just like people do, elephants tend to form deep family bonds and they stay close to their herd for their entire life. They literally have a mothers and aunts system, they work together to care for and protect the baby elephants of the herd.

They also try to help the injured or weak members of the herd and this is evidence of kindness and teamwork.

Did you know that Elephants can actually recognize themselves in mirrors? That very fact is proof of their own self awareness. Very few animals like the dolphins and the great apes can do that. They are the closest to expressing human like behaviors.

Elephants can learn and understand human gestures. Gestures like pointing and can understand it even without training.

Some of the elephants in the wild have been seen using sounds and body language to warn others of danger or an incoming threat. They can even communicate over long distances using deep sounds that people can’t hear.

• Back to their emotional intelligence.

Elephants also express joy, they play, chase and splash in water for fun. There are viral videos of elephants playing with toys and their owners, and even one where a herd of elephants heard someone playing music with a guitar and they all walked towards the musician to go listen.

Having that level of intelligence is necessary for such big creatures because the environments they dwell in can be quite harsh and can change unpredictably. So it's necessary to be intelligent in order to ensure survival.