By James WoodfordElephants are masters at using a hose – considered a complex tool because of its flexibility, length and the physics of flowing water.Researchers studying three Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at Berlin Zoo were surprised to see how nimbly they manipulated a hose to shower themselves and seemed to understand how to get the best use out of it.

An Asian elephant named Mary has been secretly filmed displaying "sophisticated behaviour" as she showered herself with a water hose at Berlin Zoo. Experts from Humbolt University of Berlin have heralded her "remarkable skill" in using her limbs and trunk to masterfully control the hose while washing her body.