In the Berlin Zoo, Mary demonstrated another example of clever elephantine tool use while another animal exhibited a form of mischief with a hose that resembled a prank.

Elephants are highly intelligent, social creatures capable of peeling bananas, burying and mourning their dead, solving problems and greeting their companions. Now, scientists have added another skill to this list: using hoses to keep themselves clean—and,

They found that Mary preferred the 24-millimeter (0.9-inch) hose, spending the largest fraction of time showering with it out of all three options. When given the thickest hose, Mary chose to spend more time showering with just her trunk and when given the smallest, she spent the most time not showering at all.

Tool use isn't unique to humans. Chimpanzees use sticks as tools. Dolphins, crows, and elephants are known for their tool-use abilities, too. Now a report highlights elephants' remarkable skill in using a hose as a flexible shower head.

An Asian elephant named Mary living at the Berlin Zoo surprised researchers by figuring out how to use a hose to take her morning showers, according to a new paper published in the journal Current Biology.

Not only does Mary the Asian elephant prefer to shower herself, but she's really good at it. So good, in fact, that her dexterous bath-time ritual is the subject of a new study about animal tool use.

Researchers at the Berlin Zoo have documented sophisticated tool use by an Asian elephant named Mary, who demonstrated remarkable skill in handling water hoses for showering. The study revealed that Mary exhibited complex behaviors typically associated with advanced tool use.