Elephants are afraid of bees. Let that sink in for a second. The largest animal on land is so terrified of a tiny insect that it will flap its ears, stir up dust and make noises when it hears the buzz of a beehive. Of course a bee's stinger can't penetrate the thick hide of an elephant.
According to elephant behavior experts, they would be scared of anything moving around their feet regardless of it's size.. Elephants are not alone in their fear of mice and other rodent like creatures. Most animals jump back or appear startled when they happen upon something they weren't expecting.
Our results show that African elephants show strong aversion to the scent of lion feces—their main predator.
East Africa's elephants face few threats in their savanna home, aside from humans and lions. But the behemoths are terrified of African bees, and with good reason. An angry swarm can sting elephants around their eyes and inside their trunks and pierce the skin of young calves.
Simple tools such as noise deterrent (banging iron sheet, beating drums, yelling and whistling) and light deterrent (use of torch and fire) are used to scare away the elephants from entering the farm.
Elephants hate bees. This finding has prompted scientists to devise an experiment that could help reduce human-elephant conflict.
Aside from humans, lions are the only predators powerful enough to kill an elephant. The males, being 50% heavier than the females, are especially suited to the task. It typically takes seven lionesses to kill an elephant, but just two males could do the same. Even a single male can overpower a young elephant.
Elephants may be the biggest of all creatures found on land, but believe it or not, even they can react defensively around large predators. For example, a herd of elephants walking through the African savanna will trumpet and chase away a pride of lions that they encounter.
They say elephants never forget, but their brainpower does not stop there.
In fact, some elephants don't even seem to mind mice crawling on their faces and trunks. Elephant experts will tell you that elephants have no reason to be afraid of mice. In fact, they'll tell you that healthy elephants don't fear any other animals, because of their size and lack of natural predators.
Carnivores (meat eaters) such as lions, hyenas, and crocodiles may prey upon young, sick, orphaned, or injured elephants. Humans are the greatest threat to all elephant populations.
Given their tremendous size and strength, and because they gather in groups, elephants have few predators to worry about. Lions, hyenas, and crocodiles may attempt to prey on young or sick elephants.
All elephants may become aggressive when sick, injured or harassed. Elephants react to threats or challenges in three different ways. Dominance or threat displays are designed to demonstrate the superior strength and social position of the individual. They may look towards the threat, spreading their ears out.
A recent report by the Elephant Research Institute (________________ ) established that smell is the primary means elephants detect cheese, and that they will ignore large pieces of cheese if tightly wrapped.
The scientists believe that the elephants are afraid of ants for the same reason they are afraid of bees - They do not like getting swarms of them inside their trunks, which are highly sensitive and full of nerve endings. Hence, whenever they get a whiff of these pesky creatures, they just keep their distance.
“We noticed that the elephants were more scared of tigers than of leopards,” says Vivek Thuppil, who carried out the work with Richard Coss, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, as part of his PhD in animal behavior.
Shiny, glittering objects often attract elephants' attention, whereas darker colors, such as black or green, generally go unnoticed.
Elephants do grieve, and they are one of the few animals who are similar to humans in mourning patterns. Believe it or not, elephants cry.
We're back for EleFACT Friday, and today is all about eyes. In the elephant's retina, there are cones that specifically perceive red hues and others for green. This is referred to as “dichromatic” vision.
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, is a fictional American comic book jungle girl heroine, originally published primarily by Fiction House during the Golden Age of Comic Books.
In brute strength, elephants are the strongest mammals and the strongest land animals. African elephants can weigh up to 6,350kg and they can carry up to 9,000kg, the weight of 130 adult humans.
The tiger is undoubtedly a fierce beast, and it might stand the best chance out of all other land-dwelling animals of successfully hunting an adult elephant. Yet, the elephant's size and power are simply indomitable.
We all have our weaknesses, but did you know that the mighty elephant's weakness is the humble bee? Apparently, elephants are instinctively afraid of bees. Conservationists use this to their advantage by placing beehives around the land that they need to keep elephants clear of, like plantations.
Elephants seldom fight crocodiles, however, mothers will protect their young fiercely, and male elephants can be hostile during mating. This was an extraordinary occurrence. It is not the first instance an elephant has been shown in the wild killing a crocodile.
In an elephant vs hippo fight, the elephant is going to win. Assuming both creatures are fully grown adults, the elephant is just too big for the hippo to handle. Hippos are too smart to pick a fight with an elephant, so they have no idea what it takes to bring one down.