(I) An elephant has a very large brain for its size and the
‘temporal lobe’ region responsible for memory is more
developed. (II) The fascination with elephant memory
has only been around for the last 200 years or so.
(III) This results in powerful abilities to ‘download’
important survival data such as where to find food and
water, and who is friend or foe. (IV) The matriarch of a
herd may recognise over 200 individual elephants and
can react to the call of a deceased member of her herd
two years after their death. (V) During droughts, these
grandma elephants lead family members to waterholes
by recalling detailed maps they have made spanning
hundreds of kilometres.