The post Who Invited This Elephant to the Pool Party? appeared first on A-Z Animals.
Watch the Video
Click here to watch on YouTubeWhat do you do when an elephant crashes your pool party? Well, if you’re like the people in the attached video, it’s time to just soak in the majesty of such an animal and keep calm. However, this does pose a few questions about the nature and behavior of elephants as a whole. So, with that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the largest land-based mammal and some of its behaviors.
Where Do Elephants Live?
We know of two main elephant species in the world today. The African elephant, or Loxodonta africana, has quite a bit of range when considering natural habitats. They’re the ones to look out for if you’re worried about the risk of an elephant crashing your pool party. Throughout the African continent, they range across 37 countries, encompassing most of Africa.
Asian elephants, or Elephas Maximus, are native primarily to South, Southeast, and Eastern Asia, ranging across around 13 countries in total. As you might guess, these two species have a common ancestor, but that’s about it in terms of overall compatibility. The African elephant is larger, with males standing at a maximum of 11 feet at the shoulders.
Do Elephants Come Close to People Often?
Historically, there wasn’t much reason for elephants and people to interact. However, as we look at the modernization and development of most of the world, elephants are coming into contact with people more and more often. This is thanks in part to development encroaching upon the natural habitat of the elephant in both Africa and Asia.
Typically, elephants can be quite friendly to humans. These are intelligent and empathetic animals, but they are individuals just like you or me. As such, if an elephant does approach, use caution to minimize the risk of an attack.
Are Elephants Afraid of People?
Elephants can be quite friendly, but they’re like people in many regards when considering behavior and disposition.
©Chris Eason (Mister-E) / CC BY 2.0, Flickr – Original / License
That depends entirely on the environment. When considering something like a nature preserve, elephants are likely to be quite friendly to caretakers and visitors alike. However, when considering the wild, they can spook quite easily when encountering people.
As mentioned, you’ll want to approach any elephant in the wild with caution and respect. If charged, you’ll want to make yourself look unafraid while making as much noise as possible. Generally, when speaking about most wild animals, we can operate under the notion that they’re more afraid of you than you are of them. However, elephants have a considerable size advantage even compared to something like an automobile.
Elephants and Water
African and Asian elephants alike are quite fond of water. They’ve been noted in the wild to frequently congregate around fresh water sources both as a source of play and hydration. In the video attached to this article, this elephant likely was approaching for a drink. The video’s description notes that the water isn’t chlorinated, and the people in the pool did a fair job of appearing unafraid.
Can an Elephant Swim?
Elephants, despite their massive size, are natural swimmers. Compared to something like the hippopotamus, it comes as a surprise that elephants are quite graceful swimmers. Elephants can swim quite easily, but they aren’t typically in the vicinity of deeper water. It isn’t uncommon to see a herd of elephants crossing a river while keeping their trunks above the water.
Conclusion
So, was this elephant crashing a pool party? It was likely just coming by for a quick drink. If you watch the video, it just pops around, wets its whistle, and seems to almost thank the people in the pool before going on its merry way. However, this is one encounter that could have had a different outcome if the pool party in question had shown fear.
The post Who Invited This Elephant to the Pool Party? appeared first on A-Z Animals.
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