Why the elephants are afraid of mice

Where did the opinion come from that the elephants are afraid of mice? About the strange relationships of the larches of the giants and mice wrote another Roman philosopher Pliny senior in his "natural history", and this is about 77 years old. NS. Over time, people are interested in the statement that the elephants are afraid of mice. The image of an elephant and brave rodent became increasingly appearing in fairy tales, cartoons. And with the advent of zoos and circus, the phenomenon began to even study.

Fragment of sculpture from the sand of the American sculptor Ray Willafein and artist Sue Beatrice

Why the elephants are afraid of mice? Some believe that the mouse can climb the elephant into a trunk, thereby breaking the oxygen access. There is a version that rodent is able to shit the soles of the animal, while he sleeps, and that is why the elephants are always sleeping standing. Finally, there is a suggestion that the elephants scares the rustling that makes mice.

Scientists have repeatedly tried to understand whether the elephants are afraid of mice in fact: the rodents were planted on the trunk and put it inside, hid, and then suddenly released, put on sleeping giants, but did not find the evidence of fear.

Researcher Richard Lare from the Thai National Institute of Elephants is confident that even if the mouse takes place in a trunk, an elephant without difficulty will throw it out. And nibble soles. Why? Yes, and elephants do not always sleep standing.

White mouse and elephant.1900 year

In 2017, researchers from the University of Withersland in South Africa decided to find out the duration of their sleep in nature. It turned out that for normal life, it is enough for about two o’clock. On the ground, they really fit rarely, about three to four days, and spend about an hour in this position, but many other animals do that. (Earlier "My Planet" wrote, why standing horses.) Moreover, if nearby predators, people or some kind of noise, a herd can sacrifice sleep for the sake of finding a quiet place. Joshua Carpenter, a researcher from the University of Cambridge, also claims that the elephants do not like noise, and anyone. Consequently, no longer a mouse is alert and force them.

In the American circus brothers Ringling, Barnuma and Bailey in 2006, also sought the answer to the question why the elephants are afraid of mice. The trainer showed her ward elephants of rodents, but they were not at all interested in. So it was possible to prove the opposite: the statement is myth.

What are the real fears of elephants ? In 2010, scientists from the University of Florida during a business trip to Kenya noticed that African elephants try to avoid trees on which ants are sitting. Researchers suggested that they scares the bite in the gentle mucous membrane of the trunk.

Fear elephants and bees. In 2018, biologists from the Kruger National Park in South Africa installed: the truth is that fat-fledged animals feel pheromones that distinguish angry insects. Elephants learned to recognize this smell. So try to avoid contact with all the forces. Who want to be a down? Scientists conducted an experiment: Placed a mixture of pheromones into special matrices, laid in socks and left at the road, according to which the elephants usually went to the aquet. After examining the contents, animals sought to move out as far as possible. But next to the same socks, without a matrix with pheromones remained calm. Biologists came to the conclusion that the cause of fear is the same: the soreness of the bite.

Herd of African elephants at the drain

Some African farmers already use it for the benefit, installing bee hives near sowing. However, scientists are confident that the use of matrices with the smell – the tool is cheaper and no less effective.

It turns out that the answer to the question is whether the elephants mice are afraid, will be negative. Nevertheless, there are their fears and these huge animals.