Do Elephants Really Fear Mice? 0 3

Two thousand years ago, Pliny the Elder claimed that elephants have an aversion to mice. According to him, these giant animals may even refuse food if it has the scent of rodents.

Recently, this legend was tested on the Discovery Channel. A lump of elephant dung was placed in the path of two elephants, which was moved with a rope when the animals approached. In this case, the elephants calmly continued on their way. However, when a mouse was underneath the dung and the lump was flipped over, releasing the rodent right in front of the elephants, they jumped back and went around it. Nevertheless, their reaction could have been caused not by fear, but by surprise at the unexpected appearance of an object in their path. It does not necessarily have to be a mouse. Elephants have poor eyesight, and it is unlikely they could immediately discern who was in front of them.

Zoo and circus staff claim that if a mouse is placed directly on an elephant's back or even poked in its eye, it will show no reaction. This difference in testimonies may be explained by the fact that each animal has its own character. For example, there are cats that run away from mice or rats, but this does not mean that fear of them is characteristic of all cats. Similarly, it may be the case with elephants: it has not yet been established whether the fear of mice is a common trait or just an exception.