It's a common expression that elephants never forget. In fact, one of the collective nouns for a group of elephants is a 'memory'. The common conception of elephants having great memories has been put to the test over the years by scientists and researchers and found to be true: elephants do have exeptional long-term memories.

An experiment conducted in the 1950s that tested an elephant's recall by showing it various wooden boxes showed that the animal had a remarkable ability to retain information. Many later experiments have produced similar results; in some instances, the testers believe that the elephant uses no particular strategy for recall as some animals do, but instead merely remembers effortlessly. These tests have been backed up by circus-elephant trainers. These tests have been backed up by circus-elephant trainers, who have attested to the amazing recall of their animals, asserting to the amazing recall of their animals, asserting that they can learn up to 100 different commands and remember them for years. Elephants have also been found never to forget someone who has either cared for or mistreated them.

The elephant's incredible memory is particularly acute among the female matriarchs, who lead the herd (the males leave at an early age) and are able to recognise any outsider elephant as friend or foe based on their prior experience of that elephant.