Kosik (Korean: 코식; pronounced Ko-shik) is a male Indian elephant[2] (Elephas maximus) in the Everland theme park in Yongin, South Korea, who was born in 1990. He made headlines in September 2006 when it was discovered he could imitate the Korean words for "yes" (네), "no" (아니오), "sit" (앉아), "lie down" (누워), and four other words. He makes the sounds by putting his trunk in his mouth and shaking it while exhaling, similar to the way a human whistles with fingers in their mouth. Kwon Su-wan, director of the zoo in Seoul, said: "We plan to conduct further studies with keepers, veterinarians and scientists on whether Kosik understands the meaning of these words as he speaks them."
Kosik vocalising.[1] | |
| Species | Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 1990 (age 33–34) |
| Known for | Imitating human speech, particularly Korean language. |
| Residence | Everland theme park, Everland Resort, Yongin, South Korea |
Like most cases of talking animals, claims are subject to the observer-expectancy effect, which may be a meaningless form of mimicry and which are subject to fabrication for many reasons.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Angela S. Stoeger; Daniel Mietchen; Sukhun Oh; Shermin de Silva; Christian T Herbst; Soowhan Kwon; W. Tecumseh Fitch (1 November 2012). "An Asian elephant imitates human speech". Current Biology. 22 (22): 2144–2148. doi:10.1016/J.CUB.2012.09.022. ISSN 0960-9822. PMC 3548412. PMID 23122846. Wikidata Q27313497.
- ^ "WATCH: Talking Elephant Wows Tourists And Scientists". Huffington Post. October 11, 2010.
References
edit- "Random Samples". Science. 314 (5796): 29. October 6, 2006. doi:10.1126/science.314.5796.29d. S2CID 220114060.
- Associated Press Article
- TV program about Kosik on YouTube (in Korean)
- Kosik speaks at Google Videos (in Korean)