For millions of years, over a dozen species of proboscideans, the group that includes mammoths, mastodons and elephants, roamed landscapes as varied as Arctic tundra and African savannas. Then, around 11,700 years ago, as the last ice age waned and human hunting picked up, this number dwindled to just three: the Asian elephant, the African forest elephant and the African savanna elephant — all of which are now endangered.
Losing elephants comes with a far-reaching and underappreciated impact, warns “The Secret World of Elephants.” The exhibit, now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, explores that impact, as well as what modern science is revealing about elephant minds and bodies.
As ecosystem engineers, modern elephants transform their environments. Because these herbivores are so big, they eat a lot, poop a lot and travel far to graze, dispersing mounds of viable seeds far and wide. The beasts also trample fields, making room for a diversity of plants, and dig enormous water holes that other animals use too. In North American grasslands, the departure of mammoths and other large herbivores homogenized the land, covering rich landscapes with slow-growing plants and invasive weeds (SN: 11/24/18, p. 22), says curator Ross MacPhee, a mammalogist at the museum.
The loss is cultural too. Though the exhibit is small, it’s packed with displays focusing on how elephants shape — or have been incorporated into — our lives. The animals appear in early cave drawings and in religious stories. (This connection hasn’t always benefited elephants, though, as humans have trained them as war steeds and circus performers.)
The exhibit aims to rekindle our connection with elephants by emphasizing that they, too, are smart and social creatures. They can recognize themselves in mirrors, a potential sign of self-awareness, and can use tools. Videos in the exhibit show elephants playing with and comforting one another. By…
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