Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice? 0 10

The image of the elephant and the brave rodent has increasingly appeared in fairy tales and cartoons. With the advent of zoos and circuses, this phenomenon has even begun to be studied.

Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice

Some believe that a mouse can crawl into an elephant's trunk, thereby blocking the access to oxygen. There is a version that the rodent can gnaw at the soles of the animal while it sleeps, and that is why giant elephants always sleep standing up. Finally, there is a suggestion that elephants are frightened by the rustling that mice make.

Scientists have repeatedly tried to understand whether elephants are actually afraid of mice: they placed rodents on the trunk and inside it, hid them, and then suddenly released them, placed them on sleeping giants, but they apparently found no evidence of fear.

Researcher Richard Lair from the Thai National Elephant Institute is confident that even if a mouse climbs into the trunk, the elephant will easily throw it out. And gnawing at the soles... Why? Besides, elephants do not always sleep standing up.

In 2017, researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa sought to determine the duration of their sleep in the wild. It turned out that for normal functioning, they only need to rest for about two hours. They indeed lie down on the ground rarely, about once every three to four days, and spend about an hour in this position, but many other animals do the same. Moreover, if predators, people, or some noise are nearby, the herd may sacrifice sleep in search of a quiet place. Joshua Plotnik, a researcher from Cambridge University, also claims that elephants do not like noise, any noise. Therefore, it is not only a mouse that can alert and make them nervous.

In the American circus of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey, they also sought an answer in 2006 to the question of why elephants are afraid of mice. The trainer showed the rodents to his charges, but they were not interested at all. Thus, the opposite was proven: the statement is a myth.

What are elephants afraid of

In 2010, scientists from the University of Florida, during a trip to Kenya, noticed that African elephants try to avoid trees where ants are sitting. The researchers suggested that they are frightened by a bite to the sensitive mucous membrane of the trunk.

Elephants are also afraid of bees. In 2018, biologists from Kruger National Park in South Africa established that the truth is that these thick-skinned animals sense the pheromones released by angry insects. Elephants have learned to recognize this smell. Thus, they try with all their might to avoid contact. Who wants to be stung? Scientists conducted an experiment: they placed a mixture of pheromones in special matrices, put them in socks, and left them by the road that elephants usually took to the watering hole. Upon examining the contents, the animals sought to move as far away as possible. However, next to similar socks without the pheromone matrix, they remained calm. Biologists concluded that the reason for the fear is the same: the painfulness of the sting.

Some African farmers are already using this to their advantage by placing beehives near their crops. However, scientists believe that using matrices with the smell is a cheaper and equally effective method.

Thus, the answer to the question of whether elephants are afraid of mice will be negative. Nevertheless, these huge animals have their own fears.