Are Elephants Really Afraid of Mice?
There is a widely-circulating story on the Internet about an episode on the Discovery channel’s TV show ‘Mythbusters’, wherein the hosts find it plausible that elephants might really be “afraid” of mice. Below you’ll find a video of the episode where experiments were conducted using real elephants and a real mouse. The urban legend about the largest animals on land (eg. elephants) being afraid of one of the smallest (mice) has been perpetuated in cartoons, as well as popular animated films, such as Disney’s ‘Dumbo’. It’s not clear where the idea came from, but many people have theorized that elephants might be afraid of mice because they fear that the tiny creatures will crawl inside their trunks, irritating or blocking them. Elephants in captivity have been exposed to mice because they are frequently found in and around the elephants’ feed (hay). Many caretakers have observed mice crawling on the trunks and faces of (awake) elephants and observed that the elephants take absolutely no
In spite of what you may have seen at the circus, elephants aren’t afraid of mice. Actually, they’re not afraid of anything, which is why it’s not all that hard for poachers to kill them for ivory. For decades, circuses have featured elephants rearing up and trumpeting with fear upon catching “sight” of a scurrying mouse. But in reality, the elephants probably can’t even see the mouse in question – they have notoriously bad eyesight! Due to their excellent memories, however, elephants can learn a variety of tricks, including rearing up on their hind legs when ordered to do so by whip-brandishing circus trainers. And while we’re dispelling elephant rumors: There’s no such thing as an elephant graveyard. When elephants are ready to die, they just fall down and check out, like the rest of us.
