By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

Published: | Updated:

Whether it's a stapler in jello or a classic whoopee cushion, many of us enjoy playing cheeky pranks on our friends. 

And a new study shows that we're not alone. 

Zookeepers at Berlin Zoo were amazed to witness an Asian elephant pranking its friend. 

The elephant, called Anchali, sabotaged her friend Mary's shower by lifting and kinking the hose to disrupt the flow of water. 

The researchers say they now wonder what the findings in zoo elephants mean for elephants in their natural environments.

'Do elephants play tricks on each other in the wild?' asked senior author, Professor Michael Brecht, from the Humboldt University of Berlin.

'When I saw Anchali's kink and clamp for the first time, I broke out in laughter. 

'So, I wonder, does Anchali also think this is funny, or is she just being mean?'

Zookeepers at Berlin Zoo were amazed to witness an Asian elephant pranking its friend. The elephant, called Anchali (right), sabotaged her friend Mary's (left) shower by lifting and kinking the hose to disrupt the flow of water

Zookeepers at Berlin Zoo were amazed to witness an Asian elephant pranking its friend. The elephant, called Anchali (right), sabotaged her friend Mary's (left) shower by lifting and kinking the hose to disrupt the flow of water

Anchali started pulling the hose toward herself and away from Mary, lifting and kinking it to disrupt water flow

Anchali started pulling the hose toward herself and away from Mary, lifting and kinking it to disrupt water flow

The prank - alongside Mary's proficient showering skills - has been documented in a new report, published in the journal Current Biology

'Elephants are amazing with hoses,' Professor Brecht said. 

'As it is often the case with elephants, hose tool use behaviours come out very differently from animal to animal; elephant Mary is the queen of showering.'

The researchers made the discovery after one of their team witnessed Mary showering one day and captured it on film.

She took it back to her colleagues who were immediately impressed and decided to analyse the behaviour in more detail.

They found that Mary grasps the hose behind its tip to use it as a stiff shower head and then systematically showers her body, coordinating the water hose with her limbs.

To reach her back, she switches to a lasso strategy, grasping the hose farther up and swinging it over her body.

When presented with a larger and heavier hose, Mary used her trunk to wash instead of the bulkier and less useful tool.

The researchers made the discovery after one of their team witnessed Mary showering one day and captured it on film
Mary grasps the hose behind its tip to use it as a stiff shower head and then systematically showers her body, coordinating the water hose with her limbs

The prank - alongside Mary's proficient showering skills - has been documented in a new report, published in the journal Current Biology

The researchers said that their findings offer a new example of goal-directed tool use. 

Other animals including chimpanzees, dolphins and crows are also known for their ability to use tools.

However, what surprised the team most was the way fellow Asian elephant Anchali reacted during Mary's showering.

Around showering time, they noticed the two elephants showed aggressive interactions.

At one point, Anchali started pulling the hose toward herself and away from Mary, lifting and kinking it to disrupt water flow.

While they can't be sure of Anchali's intentions, it looked a lot like the elephant was displaying a kind of second order tool use behaviour, disabling a tool in more conventional use by a fellow elephant, perhaps as an act of sabotage.

'The surprise was certainly Anchali's kink-and-clamp behaviour,' Professor Brecht said. 

'Nobody had thought that she'd be smart enough to pull off such a trick.'

ELEPHANTS ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT AND VERY SOCIAL WITH 'SOME HUMAN-LIKE PERSONALITY TRAITS'

Research has established that elephants' emotional characteristics are similar to those of humans.

It turns out the animals have distinct personalities.

They can be aggressive, attentive and outgoing.

For the study scientists asked elephant riders, or mahouts, to answer questions about the behaviors of the animals they worked with each day.

A new study has found that elephants, like humans, have distinct personalities. They can be aggressive, attentive and outgoing. Pictured is an elephant with its mahout, or rider, who the animal works with each day in Myanmar's timber industry

A new study has found that elephants, like humans, have distinct personalities. They can be aggressive, attentive and outgoing. Pictured is an elephant with its mahout, or rider, who the animal works with each day in Myanmar's timber industry

Dr Martin Steltmann, who worked on the new report, explained how his team defined the traits that categorize elephants.

He said: 'Attentiveness is related to how an elephant acts in and perceives its environment.

'Sociability describes how an elephant seeks closeness to other elephants and humans and how popular they are as social partners.

'Aggressiveness shows how aggressively an elephant acts towards other elephants and how much it interferes in their social interaction.'

Dr Steltmann's team is hopeful the new research can aid in elephant conservation efforts.

Most watched News videos