Why don't they just use calculators like everyone else?

Dave, Plymouth,

David from Alabama, they are smart enough to know apples taste good, which I suspect maybe more than you do if you wonder why they know what apples IS.

John, Parafield,

How does an elephant know what apples is?

David, Alabama, USA

Excuse me; I attend the government elementary school. Would you please repeat the question? How many buckets, uh apples? Would you repeat that?

James Atkinson, Glendale,

I would be interested to see how well the elephants can do subtraction: taking apples back out of the buckets as well.

Brent, Bowie, MD

It's this type of lame 'science' that gets people to worry about hoaxes like man made global warming. This wouldn't even get a good grade in an elementary school science project.

Jerry, Towson, USA

Most birds can tell if the correct number of eggs are in their nest merely by the feel of the eggs on their breast. Remove an egg, and the bird "knows" this because it feels different. I'm not sure this is "counting," but is an instinct which has nothing to do with higher cognitive abilities.

Tom, Nacogdoches, USA

does this experiment work with bananas as well or is it just with apples. What type of apples? red or green ones? Can elephant discern colors, if not I am sure it could make a difference. good article, yeah, I am going to hire me an elephant to do my accounting.

Yagzud, Casablanca, Morocco

Make him president of the United States. He is clearly smarter than Bush and McCain.

PKayne, Toronto, Canada

There is NO counting going on here. The reason the elephant knows which bucket has more apples is that there is more "activity" around this bucket, and the animal is smart enough to know that more human activity is equivalent to more apples. That's all.

Steve, Branford, USA

Astonishing! I now understand how Tantor was able to call all jungle animals to Tarzan's aid with a single trumpeting call.

After this one gets done counting buckets of apples it can get on with its true calling and find a cure for cancer and heart disease.

Jim Cliff, Hamersville, OH,

I wonder if the elephant isn't using basic smelling sense. A bucket with eight apples has more scent than a bucket with three or five. Wouldn't that be just as likely as counting skills?

L. McKinney, Space Coast, USA

I LOVED DAVID GILLES' COMMENT!!!! Brilliant!!!! What more needs to be said!?? Yeah let's see how well Dumbo does in applying Stokes' Theorem to electromagnetics! HAHA

Gilles: "Whatever. When it can solve partial differential equations I'll be impressed.

charles wolfe, chicago, usa

Please sign this elephant on as Chancellor of the Exchequer, immediately.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

Who says animals don't have souls? They are alive. They are self-aware. Why can't they have souls?

Lee O'Dea, Gloucester,

Whatever. When it can solve partial differential equations I'll be impressed.

David Gillies, San Jose, Costa Rica

Remember the field tests with "Counting Crows".
Multiple tests and audio recordings of crows "counting"
researchers entering a woodlot. It seems the crows can count to SIX. After that it is always the same call, no matter what number, which the researchers have decided means "Many!".

Kevin, Auburn Hills, USA

Still smarter than your average government school graduate.

Mike, Jacksonville, USA

I just flipped a coin multiple times in two tests, choosing tails to be the "correct answer" in the first test and heads the "correct" answer in the second. In the first test I "scored" 71% in the second I "scored" 69%. The elephant only had two buckets to choose from; give me a break.

Ryan, adams , USA

Having a problem believing that "animals" can be as smart as or smarter than man? Got a case of xenophobia? I don't see elephants running around with guns shooting each other. Just cause a species doesn't have microwave ovens doesn't make them dumb.

Steve Lusk, Johnson City,

Not enough science to prove anything, unfortunately. Could be a "Clever Hans" effect?

However, animals are certainly much more capable than generally credited, and at some point in the future humans will be aghast at the savagery inflicted upon them on the basis that "they don't have souls".

John Weaver, San Javier, Spain

Bill what academy did you say you graduated from???

jim, jackson, usa

If I had a four foot nose I think I could detect a stronger odor from the bucket with the most fruit too!

George R. Clark, Drummonds,

I would have to say this Elephant would have outscored John McCain at the Naval Academy. He was 890th out of 894 and was jealous of the guy who finished last because he got to shake thew hand of the President(probably John Quincy Adams

Bill, Buffalo, USA

Once had a roomate that had an extremely flat personality. I also once had a dog that had supersized personality.

Once that small dog sat on my roomates lap. I could not help but remark to myself that "gee the dog has more personality than the person!"

Lesson? Do not underestimate.

Fred X, Phoenix, USA Arizona

The bucket that had more apples at the beginning still had more apples after the "sum." Does this really demonstrate that the elephant could add? What if, instead of 3+2=5 and 5+2=7, the big guy had been given 3+4=7 and 5+1=6. Could he follow?

Michael Tashman, Newington, CT, USA

Monkey on typewriter effect....

Joe, slc, usa

And 13% of the time the elephant was being polite and choosing the smaller quantity bucket?

Dave B., Clinton, MA, USA

Now if we can just get college students to do the same, we might be getting somewhere...

mtg, boston, US

My experiment would be this. Drop 3 in basket #1, while basket #2 is empty. Then, drop 8 or so more in each basket. Each of these drops should occur simultaneously. Does the elephant know basket #1 still has more? This would tell us, in essence, if they know that if n > m, then n + p > m + p.

Matthew, Palo Alto, CA, USA

My dog can not count but you should hear him play the piano, he also flushes the toilet after going to the bathroom.

Talon, Tampa, usa

I would like to hear more about such research! Good read.

Alex, London,

I think it would be necessary to do other tests with objects that have no odor, odors that they are not familiar with, or put deceiving odors in the buckets. eg. Inject the ones to go into the bucket with less with extra extract or soak in juices...

Michelle Heinecke, Honolulu, USA

87% is a "B" grade in the U.S. I would not hire a B student to be my accountant.

Walter, Detroit, U.S.A.

Duh, they pick the bucket with more apples in it. They didn't get that big by making the wrong choice when food was involved.

Kirk, Barnesville, OH, USA

The elephant should be named Hans, as in Clever Hans.

Joe W, Alliance, USA

The more exotic experiment would be to see if the counting abilities of these Elephants can be taught to the Ways and Means Committee of the US House of Representatives.
The US Senate is too far behind to attempt any teaching of anything ---- some members think that there are 57 States.

James, Selma, USA

elephants have a great sense of smell. six apples smell stronger than five.

jim frey, Berkeley, CA, USA

my cat can count also, but only to 2. If I just put one scoop of his food in his bowl he won;t eat it. he always waits for the 2ed scoop.

P. Conlon, CINCINNATI, U.S.A.

I hate to sound skeptical, but these apples were 'dropped', and elephants DO have big ears capable of hearing and interpreting a wider range of sounds. Is it possible that the elephant simply compared the sounds of the final apples dropped in each bucket to judge which bucket was more full?

Michelle, singapore,

i think that most kids in indoctination centers they call schools wouldnt do as well as the elephant

steve, ft worth, usa

So, how do donkeys score in mathematics?

Joe, Florida, USA

The research with the elephants was extremely interesting. .I would certainly be interested in further studies.

William Markel, Hanover, Indiana 47243, USA

Interesting research. I'm anxious to hear more

William Markel, Hanover, Indiana 47243, USA