WASHINGTON -- Dr. Seuss had it right: Horton really does hear a Who. Wild elephants can distinguish between human languages, and they can tell whether a voice comes from a man, woman or boy, a new study says.
That's what researchers found when they played recordings of people for elephants in Kenya. Scientists said this is an advanced thinking skill that other animals haven't shown. It lets elephants figure out who is a threat and who isn't.
The result shows that while humans are studying elephants, the clever animals are also studying people and drawing on powers of memory, study author Karen McComb said.