Buzz
From animated movies to fables, one of the most prevalent images we encounter is that of an elephant cowering in fear at the sight of a mouse.
Mice, despite their small size, are gnawing rodents with a rapid reproductive rate. Despite their diminutive stature, these creatures can wreak havoc on crops, gnaw on possessions, and emit unpleasant odors in living spaces.
Living in damp, dark places, mice often carry harmful viruses and bacteria. Among these, the bubonic plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria from mice has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people. Due to these reasons, most people despise and even fear mice, with many considering it a psychological condition (Musophobia) that afflicts numerous individuals. And many believe elephants share this sentiment.
The origins of the 'elephants fearing mice' legend are unclear, but many scholars speculate it may have originated around 77 AD, during the time of Pliny the Elder and later Aristotle - perhaps the most influential scholars of antiquity.
Pliny was the first to assert that 'elephants fear mice more than any other creatures,' and due to his significant influence and high regard, this belief not only permeated among the Romans but also spread to other regions for many centuries to come.
However, it's a fact that elephants don't naturally inhabit the Western environment, so just like exotic animals to ancient Westerners, the appearance and behavior of elephants entirely relied on the imagination of people from that era.
And as a result, some individuals were truly captivated by the image of a creature weighing several tons shrinking in fear at the sight of a tiny mouse, such as Allen Moulin, a physician in the 1600s.
Moulin, with limited knowledge of elephant anatomy, argued that because elephants lack epiglottis - the cartilage protecting the trachea when swallowing - it could make sense that such a large creature might fear a small mouse if it could crawl up the elephant's trunk and potentially cause it to suffocate.
However, this claim lacks clear scientific basis. Modern biologists affirm that elephants have soft cartilage to protect their trachea. Even if a mouse, insect, or any 'debris' enters their trunk, elephants can easily blow them out.
Nevertheless, in an episode of MythBusters - an American entertainment science television program, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman discovered that the myth was indeed true. Though they couldn't conclude why, their experiments showed that South African elephants did 'freeze' in their tracks when encountering mice - when elephants sensed the presence of mice, they genuinely retreated and even began moving in a different direction.
According to John Hutchinson, a researcher at the Royal Veterinary College in London, elephants in the wild exhibit considerable anxiety whenever they detect signs of small and nimble creatures. This means not only mice can induce fear in them but also dogs, cats, and any small, nimble creatures can make elephants feel anxious. Moreover, there's a curious new factor involved.
Confined elephants, like those in zoos or circuses, are often seen sleeping with rodents perched atop their heads. These elephants seem to pay little attention to the rodents. So, instead of fearing mice, elephants seem only startled by their swift movements. And, indeed, a similar scenario may unfold for any wildlife species.
Furthermore, in studies conducted by the Elephant Protection Group in Kenya, they found that elephants are highly afraid of bees.
Lucy King, a leading zoologist in the research conducted by the Elephant Protection Group in Kenya, stated that elephants are highly afraid of bees because upon hearing the sound of bees, the herd immediately flees.
By experimenting with the buzzing sound of bees, they observed that elephant herds pause, attempting to determine the source of the sound, and then the herd leader commands a retreat.
She and her research team hope this method will help deter elephants from raiding crops in Kenya, thereby reducing the need for people to kill elephants to protect their harvests.
