Talking Elephant from South Korea

I wouldn't conclude evolution.

Since I can't understand Korean I can't even comment on how accurate the elephant can 'talk', or if it just mimics the sounds it most often hears. Even if I could speak Korean I wouldn't be able to ascertain that.

I will say that this is cool, though. Animals that mimic human language are funny. There's all sorts of cases that pop up about them throughout history.

Now when an animal can start really speaking, we can talk evolution, but before we do that we should consider genetic modification.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


Barbara Striesand?

Was the elephant about to bust out in song?

reply to post by BattleStarGal


lol! I knew that was an odd comparison when I put it out there. But you know....like the barbara s. of vocal world.
Someone gifted in that department. Sigh. It's pathetic that's the best I could come up with this morning. I wanted to use that gifted opera singer....lol.....But I couldn't think of her name, only her nickname "bubbles".
Oh! I just remembered her name, Beverly Sills.

(Oh wow, that's not any better than Barbara Striesand is it). Fine! Nevermind then! lol.

Originally posted by alonzo730
Even the way he's standing when he vocalizes, it's like he's saying "Look at me."

Sharp observation. His body language does change when he makes those sounds and seems pretty consistent. Interesting...

All animals have intelligence and communicate with each other very effectively. The problem between them and us is that we have become so dependent on "words" that we have largely lost our ability to understand the gestures, movements and other non-verbal expressions that the animal kingdom uses.

I like the example of the communication device that translated human speech into sounds that made sense to dolphins and visa versa. If that device was adapted for use with other animals, I think we would be in store for some serious "learnin' thanks to our animal companions and friends.

Jesus! 24 flags!
This Elephant rocks my socks!

Well isn't it said that elephants have a great memory? Or is that just a myth? I thought I heard that a long time ago. Maybe elephants are more smarter than we give them credit for.

Originally posted by Romantic_Rebel
This is a video from youtube. It is amazing to me and shows humans are not the only intelligent animals in the world.

An elephant at a South Korean zoo has attracted the attention of an international research team amid reports that the animal can talk. According to zoo officials, 20-year old "Kosik" can vocalize at least seven words in Korean and the scientists are eager to learn how.

Evolution in action? You be the judge!

I'm not exactly sold on the fact that he can talk, most of the Korean language sounds like animal sounds. So my theory is this: Maybe Koreans are speaking Elephant?
P.S. I'm not making fun of anyone or their race/language. This is just how it comes across to me thats all.

reply to post by gps777


Watching this made my day! Thanks for posting,
I would so buy a painting from that elephant =) I really would.

I'm reminded of Hoover the talking Seal, now sadly deceased......




I have no idea if what he said was ever in context, probably just parrot-like imitation, but interesting nonetheless.

reply to post by againuntodust

Since I can't understand Korean I can't even comment on how accurate the elephant can 'talk', or if it just mimics the sounds it most often hears. Even if I could speak Korean I wouldn't be able to ascertain that.

it is mimicry - which is impressive enough I think

this link better explains what's happening:
www.reuters.com...

what I'd like to understand is why this elephant - what happened here?

what would make this particular elephant want to do this - and how did he figure out how to do it?

we could say it's only mimicry - but that's still communication

Originally posted by badw0lf
Im glad he's the only living elephant that can talk, I mean, Id be freaked if dead elephants could talk.

And the bit about imitating other elephants?? rofl.

Seriously though, keeping intelligent animals captive, is it a sign of desperation or desire that they learn how to sound like their captors?

edit on 16/10/2010 by badw0lf because: goram fingers.... work you fools!!

Like the person who wakes up mid surgery but is still paralyzed. Learning to speak to scream.

Dude!
This video is so amazing! Thank you for sharing the video and everyone else for sharing their video.

All of these videos are interesting and provide some good food for thought. While I do not speak or understand Korean, I find it intriguing that an elephant could alter its pitch enough to mimic Korean words with any sort of accuracy. Since I am not an animal behaviorist, I cannot comment on the reasons why or how this elephant is able to achieve this form of communication.

The video of the husky is very interesting as well. I would liken the vocalizations of the dog to that of a wolf. Each wolf pack has its own unique vocalization for hunting, socializing, etc. I think this dog is merely showing a pack behavior where it tries to mimic the vocalizations of its "human pack". Just to prove my hypothesis, I just sat with my beagle and made different types of vocalizations. I would make a whining or whimpering sound, and she would immediately react by licking my face to try to "comfort" me. I would growl a playful growl, like when we're playing ball, and she would make the same one back at me, then retrieve her ball. While I don't entirely believe that the dog in the video knows what it is saying, I believe that it does know that it is trying to please its "human pack."

The elephant video in which it paints a self-portrait is very telling indeed. If there was no learned behavior involved, it would suggest to me a sense of self-awareness. Of course, who would think to give an elephant a paint brush and canvas in the first place? There may be some sense of training involved, but I don't think it goes so far as to teach it how to paint a picture of itself. I think that came all on its own.

I have always been interested in dolphins and whales, their songs, and their ways of communication. I truly believe that at least some species of dolphins and whales are completely sentient in a sense that they have self-awareness, have beliefs, customs, etc. Just studying their behavior and having the privilege of swimming when them several times in "dolphin encounters" I am convinced that they are on a "human level" of intelligence. If we could only break through the language and communication barrier, who knows what we could find out. They would become not only a protected species, but would be granted rights as a sentient species.

Very interesting things to think about. Thanks all for the interesting videos.


Peace be with you.

-truthseeker

Are 'talking..painting elephants really doing it voluntarily? or is it training (abuse)
Elephants like other animals communicate with each other, surely this is enough for their survival.
It is us humans who for some untold reason find a need to humanise other species.


Elephant lady
www.youtube.com...
Tried to upload youtube vid got a blank??

Vid is about the cruelty involved in making elephants 'perform'

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


Aaaawesome! i love how that word it says after everytime it eats means "good." oh the life of an elephant:

*nom nom nom

GOOOOOD!

*nom nom nom

GOOOOD!!!!

.........

reply to post by Silver Star


aaah! 'GET OUTTA HEEERE' hahahahahahahahaha. freakin' trash talkin' seal, givin lip to everyone. check out this wiki about a talking mongoose who was probalby a hoax or a ghost:

Gef the Talking Mongoose

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


People in Thailand would live their whole lives in a symbiotic relationship with an elephant. It was only a matter of time before the animal that never forgets learn how to speak and once he speaks fluently and then they all can, what will happen then? What if they were this intelligent the whole time, but only knew how to speak elephant? Watch Ace Ventura when he talks to the elephant. They understand, but will it make us not only being with self-consciousness anymore?

Isn't their some kind of prophecy that says we'll start to understand animals more and more as we're all evolving right now? Idk I'll try and find it...

or this bad boy



batyr, the talking elephant, cause of death: drug overdose, probalby after completing his memoir: me batyr, drink, good, hungry, nap.......[sigh] another troubled genius.

reply to post by snusfanatic


Dawwww!
I want to name a restaurant after him!