Mythbusters: Are elephants afraid of mice?

Mythbusters explore the myth of whether elephants are afraid of mice.

[@7empest884]

Adam: How do we introduce the mouse to the elephant? Jamie: Slingshot. LOL

[@Wavemaninawe]

Adam: ... and they call me a Savage.

[@zamane1234]

Alexander Franzese I know!!

[@willywilson4409]

Mr mouse meet Mr elephant lol

[@ketzisandra4896]

😂

[@ketzisandra4896]

yeah

[@micahwatson9017]

I'd be freaked out too if my pile of crap moved and a mouse came crawling out! 😂

[@richtigmann1]

yeah

[@Tasorius]

Time to set myself on fire...

[@bennieknape4857]

yeah they did not establish that the elephant was afraid of the mouse they only established that the elephant was aware of the mouse and she just because you're big like an elephant doesn't mean you have to be a dick and Stefan every little creature out there I think the elephant didn't want to step on the mouse

[@sontapaa11jokulainen94]

They tried it without the poop and even tough they moved the poop the elephant did not even react to it.

[@UltimatePowa]

Roflmao To be honest, Elephants are afraid of mice for the same reason we are afraid of certain bugs irrationally. I'm certain there's some kind of elocutionary response towards diseases, etc, but really it boils down to the mouse is so small and can bite. The mouse could even go up the elephants trunk, much like a bug can crawl into your ear. They are afraid BECAUSE the mice are so small.

[@GigglingBug1564]

I like at the end how the elephant just walks up behind the mythbusters. It was cute.

[@hudsonsteele1674]

"What do _you_ think?" "STOMP STOMP!!"

[@mirofeya]

It was planned

[@dagwood5041]

@@mirofeya it was still cute

[@kylequick9275]

Cute I’d be running for my life

[@RCAvhstape]

That's a young one, right? When mommy and daddy elephant catch wind of that, you'd best be on the plane back to Cali already.

[@itzjezzeify]

I don't remember everything being this fuzzy in 2007.

[@zachrfields]

It wasnt

[@slayingdeathgaming5537]

Yeah in the 1950s everybody seen in black in white ;)

[@DiceDecides]

lol even the 70s had much clearer videos

[@kostas666lelapas3]

I member

[@daveblacklock9173]

Because screens weren't good enough to show the shittiness of old school recording

[@johnranielbacsafra6997]

maybe elephants aren't really afraid of mice,, its just elephants are nice and they don't want to step on and kill a poor tiny little mice

[@jsbmx2039]

John Raniel bacsafra i think thats it too.

[@Emteon]

John Raniel bacsafra mouse*

[@numbers1and819]

John Raniel bacsafra thats not true at all the mouse will crawl up their trunk and suffocate the elephant

[@wojtekpolska1013]

@@numbers1and819 lol what idiot u are 1and8 1. it wont even fit (in trunk Elephants have 2 smaller holes if u didnt noticed 2. they pick up things mouse sized 3. Elephants are one of smartest animals, so if they really were afraid of suffocating they would move their trunk up to make it out of reach for mouse

[@lastoutlaw3882]

@@numbers1and819 stupid fuck off with ur bullshit theory

[@brendanmcmahon2745]

"Now, we've brought a bucket full of mice"- Adam "I understand you have some elephants"- Jamie Possibly the most underrated lines from the show.

[@Mardikuz]

is there any hidden meaning in those lines or are they simply funny?

[@TaikaJamppa]

@@Mardikuz Adam was secretly thinking about releasing bucket full of mice. 🤣 At least that’s what I think.

[@chunyuen93]

2:50 The mouse is in an elephant dung. 7:01 The mouse is in Adam's mouth. O.o

[@RCAvhstape]

7:01.5 the mouse dung is in Adam's mouth.

[@joekrater3364]

IKR lol, how could Adam forget that

[@mmmmmonke7432]

2:50

[@jungybrungis8118]

@@joekrater3364 I feel like he doesn't care from the way he was handling the shit the whole time lol

[@ImDatBish]

Ewwwwwwwe

[@raineyhayes3821]

"What is this creature? It's small and I can't get a good look at it. Some creatures can inject venom. Is this one of them? Do I really need to fiddle with this creature long enough to find out?" I'm sure that's going on in the elephant's mind.

[@moviemaker1986]

"We need to improvise some kind of mouse delivery system." Quotes like that, as well as the experiments themselves, is why I love this show.

[@Wuingo]

You can do the same with humans. Uncover am unexpected mouse and most humans will jump back. I think it's just the animals' instinct to move away from sudden, unexpected critters. The elephants would probably do the same if it was a snake, lizard or other critter. It's just that elephants and mice are so opposite from each other (in size) that the myth holds up in a funny way.

[@barracudablue2913]

Oscar B maybe ur fuckin dumb and dont realize nature dont care about other animals usually and almost any other predator would chomp that little fucker in a bite

[@barracudablue2913]

To think every animal has the same natural instinct is a neanderthal mind set

[@cacatr4495]

@@barracudablue2913 You are the one with the neanderthal mindset. Elephants aren't predators: they watch their steps very carefully around smaller herbivorial creatures, they have to! Watch and learn. They're very careful with their feet. This "myth-busting" experiment was all about the unexpected for the Elephants: they didn't expect a tiny unknown creature to suddenly appear. Elephants also will protect other animals that are under attack; they are intelligent, unlike troll commenters.

[@Blargleflakes]

Oscar B that’s true, I would like to see how they would react with a mouse just walking up on an elephant. Mouse popping out of turd would startle lots of things lmao

[@Blargleflakes]

CA Catr best to just ignore them, trolls don’t learn things. maybe throw a dislike on their comment lol

[@FlagCutie]

This is one of my favorite myths they've tried. Not only because elephants are awesome, but because of the humane way they tested.

[@angelalbano4234]

I would assume that this would be kind of like humans being afraid of bugs, almost specifically roaches. But we are so much bigger than them but are still very afraid and disgusted by them so I think this is working on kind of the same principle. Just a theory, I don't know if that's the case but I imagine it would be.

[@fenmo9533]

Angel Albano That’s an interesting thought, that makes me wonder if there might be any other animals that react negatively to smaller organisms? Or, is there a point in size relation where the larger creatures may evolve this fear/avoidance of smaller creatures. Also,, are herbivores more likely to evolve this fear compared to carnivores/omnivores - since both carnivores and omnivores would likely have to prey on those smaller than themselves, therefore making it impractical for them to evolve a fear of smaller rodents or insects.

[@rucebajer9361]

Yeah. They could be afraid of getting sick.

[@SubtleHawk]

Maybe they don't wanna kill it accidentally.

[@emanueltheodorus1056]

Huh. No wonder why many people are disgusted by bugs and spiders despite they are being smaller than us (humans)

[@devinostrom5195]

Angel Albano fun fact. Adam admitted in an interview that a little kid pointed out that white mice aren't usually found in nature lol. This experiment is innacurate.

[@jsmurley1289]

I wonder if the elephants are spooked by the rats erratic movement. If a human sees something small and dark moving across the floor they freak out frequently thinking that it's either a roach or spider. A roach can't harm anyone yet we're afraid of it because it's movement recalls something dangerous like a spider or centipede. I think the elephants are afraid of mice because their erratic movement is just barely visible to their eyesight and resembles something dangerous in their environment

[@CA5H3W]

So a college professor once explained to me why elephants are scared of mice (although he was an ichthyologist "fish scientist" so idk how much water it holds) but what he told me was that once a mouse or rat reaches maturity they are pretty much in constant heat and are always looking to bang, so they are constantly emitting sex pheromones. He said that by some kind of convergent evolution elephants and rats ended up with almost identical sex pheromones, pheromones that in elephants are only produced by male bull elephants going through musth, and since bull elephants going through musth are very aggressive and dangerous unless it's a female elephant in heat or a bull in musth looking to challenge another male that elephants will avoid these pheromones at all costs so they can avoid crossing paths with a mature aggressive bull going through musth. It's the only explanation I've ever heard that makes sense on why a elephant would be afraid of or even care about a tiny little mouse

[@TheIllusioner]

That makes sense.

[@blanktrigger8863]

It's most likely because mice are so disease-ridden. It's the same reason we fear them.

[@kosherkingofisrael6381]

@@CA5H3W How much water a fish scientist holds. Lmao

[@blazer9642]

When I was young a roach crawled up my leg and scratched me I was just tryna use the bathroom

[@angelalbano4234]

I know they wouldn't show it on t.v. but I was half expecting the elephant to trample the mouse to death. I didn't think this myth was true at all.

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

Angel Albano - it wouldn’t need to trample it, one step and it’s flat like a pancake

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

Sonlirain - no, I hadn't already responded

[@turquoisewolf5847]

Same 😂😂😂😂😂

[@erickjanich6800]

Wow folks!

[@misterkid]

you're right, they faked the elephant's reaction with CGI

[@almightychaarms572]

Bro, this is the only video where there's no option to change the quality

[@NiGHTSaturn]

I WannaCry It was uploaded in 2007. 480p upload feature was added in 2008. It was probably the original quality the uploader had the video in.

[@NessyMathew]

It could also be that the elephant was surprised to see a mouse under there. Not like a mouse pops out of elephant dung everyday, lol.

[@MegaDrunkViking]

Nessy actually I'd reckon their dung would attract a lot of small creatures, as theyd feast on the bugs it attracts

[@Pacrisvi]

Nessy did you even see the whole video?

[@Chaingun]

in new york if you shit on ground mice will be all over it in seconds.

[@lorebreaker4970]

Protector Drone how would you know?

[@PhantomationTV]

He knows, Im not proud of how he knows. But I am proud of his discovery.

[@AliceTheWoofingCat]

Mythbusters is so nostalgic. It reminds me of when I was little and I would watch it with my dad on weekends, eating a huge bowl of home cooked popcorn, all in one night!

[@Dedicednu]

There's also footage of elephants coming upon the skeletal remains of another elephant, and they spend hours just feeling the bones and making noises. Researches believe they're trying to identify who it was. Amazing creatures.

[@thor.halsli]

@@LWLProductions We humans do this all the time too. Everytime we find a skeleton we immediately take a dna sample to figure out who it was. Doesnt matter if the skeleton is two years or a thousand years we still do it. I think in evelution terms when a brain becomes self aware like ours or the elephants, we also get a insatiable thirst to seek knowledge. It's like with a button that says Do Not Press, somehow, given enough time, we all press it

[@brainkrieg1423]

"Holy shit! Steve? Dave? Barry? Other Barry?"

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

If the elephant had seen a mouse before the results might have been different, this seems more like an "I don’t know what that is so I’ll just avoid it" type of scenario

[@seve305]

0MindSwept0 Bit late, but do you really think that there is no mice in africa? Come on.

[@danny90099]

@@seve305 maybe rodent but not white mice

[@cacatr4495]

@@seve305 Those were Asian Elephants. The lack of knowledge is astounding.

[@edwardv1255]

@@cacatr4495 Really, they are Asian elephants? Wow, that's quite special, as they are in Aquila Private Game Reserve in South-Africa, and at 1:15 the narrator says: "The target species here is the African elephant"

[@manamanaman]

@@cacatr4495 BS those are indeed African elephants.

[@user-nl4qt8cr6x]

Independent variable: whether or not there was a mouse Dependent variable: the elephants reaction:))

[@amaya-0860]

Guess I'm not the only one here for hw answers lol😂😂😂

[@ringwormsss4449]

Omg yes thank you so much 😊

[@cheeseistaken]

what hw

[@b1eiskant]

thank youu

[@bluenugget1436]

Thankssss your a legend

[@rabidbeagle7347]

Poor mouse was in an elephant shit igloo, with no door for who knows how long.

[@Rem1061]

Since mice live in mouse shit up to their ears, really dont think it bothered it much. And since the actors were having to stand out there in the heat, bet it wasn't long.

[@Chaingun]

there is more vitamins, protein for that mouse in that dung than most other food it eats... its all full of vegetables the elephant has been eating. just because you feel shit is vile doesnt mean animals do. nearly every animal species on the planet eats another animals shit or their own and it is healthy for them.

[@BabyfaceMilan]

you people really did reply to a 4 year old comment lmao

[@beetlejuicefan5966]

This guy probably died years ago why are you replying to him?

[@jimfrick8091]

So that people who think the same get the same respons. That's why we post anything at all isn't it?

[@meelind]

They should have tried other small animals to see if it is only mice that elephants are cautious of.

[@treyknott2742]

They explained this in a later video. A viewer explained that the mouse was white which is not a native species in that area. The elephant was scared because it was white and elephants don’t expect that where they live.

[@terryfeynman]

What if they where simply panicked that their shit started moving and giving birth to mice ? I know I would be quite shocked, if I try to flush, and suddenly my shit moves and a mouse comes out.

[@whatkenyan7684]

Actually that is not correct, the colour may have very little effect what really counts is the smell elephant will go to extra high level to avoid disease and its tell tale smell and that is the forte of mice... I am telling you this not as a expert on elephants by books but a neighbor of the real wild Jumbos.

[@EricLing64]

Their tusks are white.

[@billygowhoop]

That makes a lot of sense.

[@svenkaan6864]

tigger man I quess it have something to do with something prehestorical way of noticing danger. Maybe noticing potential illnes of something venomous which Im not sure. I dont know if a snake is danger for elephant so. Many people are also afraid of mouse in their house. Also many people have arachniphobia because of potential danger that is were I made my point on.

[@lumapas]

The elephant was cautious not to crushed the mice Bec. he was afraid to sued by P.E.T.A 😯

[@markdillow1677]

lumapas 🤪🤪🤪

[@ChodeMaster]

Peta cant sue shit, they are just a bunch of hippie activists

[@Smileyreal]

PETA would make sure to stomp that mouse afterwards where nobody can see it

[@RemixedVoice]

Of the 2,380 pets PETA took in, only 32 pets were adopted out, the rest were killed. Lmao

[@elizabethcatt6507]

Pretty sure if an elephant is afraid/feels threatened, the natural instinct is to charge. So if the elephant was afraid of the mouse, it would've trampled it. Since elephants are self-aware (if you put a mark on their head, they'll try to wipe it off when shown their reflection), it's probably just trying not to hurt the little fellow. It's the same as when humans swerve to avoid hitting an animal when driving. There's a level of empathy that makes us avoid causing pain.

[@Raulxz]

Elephants and many other animals do feel empathy but thats most likely not the reason why they avoid mice, but instead its because of their extremely sensitive trunks because there are nerve endings there which would cause a lot of pain and might suffocate the elephant if a mouse got in, thats also why they’re scare of other small animals such as bees

[@bradleysmith9431]

I just don't want my vehicle to get tore up.

[@lazygenie5616]

I don’t think elephants charge? Elephants are herbivores and don’t hunt. They and extremely peaceful creatures. I don’t believe they attack anything purposely

[@jennyjohn704]

@@Raulxz There is no way a mouse could suffocate an elephant. If the mouse got into the trunk, the elephant would simply blow it back out again.

[@Bapuji42]

There's different kinds of levels of afraid. If you're afraid of a serial killer you'll scream and run, but if you're afraid of Karen in the office you'll just avoid her in the break room. All that aside you should be an elephant psychologist or something.

[@christiepowell3647]

I've read of situations where cows were freaked out by a white cup against the ground, because the black-white contrast made it stand out as something novel, something to be wary of. I would like a follow up where they use a mouse of a more natural color. Would a gray mouse freak them out?

[@GaMeRfReAkLIVE]

Agreed. Especially in africa something that white would be unnatural to see. Field mice and stuff they might actually come across would be brownish to greyish

[@Hhh-j8o]

Someone threw a red leather chair out and my dog refused to go down that street 🤦‍♀️

[@maddyg5981]

The elephant was probably just startled to see a bright white mouse. If you put a darker mouse (like the ones they're used to seeing) in front of it it probably would not react the same way

[@numbers1and819]

Maddy G! The mouse will suffocate the elephant

[@Okartel]

Yeah, it’ll climb it’s body and strangle him to death.

[@Anirossa]

Maddy G! Maybe scared its poop moved

[@alexninten8818]

Now I want to see a mouse climbing and killing a elephant. With a shadow of Colossuss boss theme or attack on titain theme

[@cacatr4495]

@@numbers1and819 Where do you get that garbage?

[@danagaran6582]

I think its more on the surviving skills of the elephants that made it walk away. This is still considered as a wild animal and they lived freely. And they adapted to their environment. When you see a small living animal it can't be just a mice, there's poisonous snakes and other more lethal animals out in the wild. Now if we do an experiment where we show an animal that this certain thing is dangerous, ofcourse they'll avoid it. Kinda like how us humans react to a thought of danger, we walk away. I say, they should've tried using other small animals and i think it'll have the same result.

[@Jmagee2113]

Very smart Dana!

[@LynelleHinkley]

I know that horses will often avoid small critters on the ground (mice, cats, snakes) not because they are afraid, but because they don't want to step on some thing that moves. They want to be walking on stable ground not a squirming critter. I wonder if the elephant had a similar reaction so it was thinking more along the lines of " That little thing is moving, I don't want to step on it because it will feel weird and might put me off balance."

[@Simon_Sez]

Zero replies in 12 years. Wow, how different the world was back then. Hopefully you’re still alive and well, and maybe you’ll enjoy re-watching this video

[@markcobuzzi826]

@@Simon_Sez I noticed that KZbin once separated all replies from their old OP comments, at some point many years ago. So the person may have gotten some replies, before that happened.

[@Psychobum91932]

That's a great explanation. Seriously, I wish they would have taken that into consideration and explained that in this video so people wouldn't just straight out believe elephants were scared of little mice.

[@jimmydonnelly3733]

If I was an elephant I wouldn’t want the mouse crawling up my trunk and killing me

[@tommy2059]

Lol

[@andryuu_2000]

They probably just avoid the mice for not crushing them

[@noodlechild666]

Mice dont actually squeak very often (i used to own a few) although that cant be dismissed as a theory. Its experiments like this that i wish they would develop further. As an animal behaviour student, i find this fascinating, and would love to know the real reason they are so mindful of the mouse. Whether its fear, or some other reason. Sadly this isnt an experiment just anyone can perform :(

[@jeraldlerida5840]

what if elephants are just too caring that they might actually scare that they can crush the mouse to death? :( lol

[@nooneimportant9241]

😂I was looking for a comment that said this. I was thinking the same thing.

[@numbers1and819]

They suffocate the elephant thats why they are so afraid of them

[@ShooshedGamer]

Elephants can be cruel so that’s probably not the reason.

[@cacatr4495]

As someone who has studied elephants at great length, it is clear to see that they work very hard to watch where they put their feet, that they are very careful not to step on anything or anyone that they don't intend to. They will step on a pumpkin to open it to eat the pumpkin, and they will defend themselves from abusive, deadly humans, or to defend from other predators, but otherwise, elephants are very careful where they put their feet. Being intelligent, they know they have great power in their feet. Elephants aren't cruel: cruelty involves twistedness of mind for sadism, which many humans have, which elephants don't. To the contrary, elephants are known to have compassion, something that humans now lack, especially those deluded by false pride.

[@ethanross1506]

CA Catr You are correct, I’ve seen many videos where elephants changed their course or backed up to avoid stepping on small animals. Their legs are not big, inflexible columns of meat that stomp around everywhere, it’s quite the opposite; they are very precise and dexterous with their feet and they have to be considering a misstep and a tumble could be very costly for such a heavy animal.

[@blearyeyedchangeling]

i think elephants are just really kind. They refuse to drop poles in pits dogs or other creatures are sleeping in

[@bradleysmith9431]

When and where have you seen this? A dog in a pit, with someone telling the elephant to drop a pole in?

[@blearyeyedchangeling]

@@bradleysmith9431 it's something that's been observed by those who work w animals

[@geo8367]

One of the best shows ever!

[@Ritchy79]

Note that the elephants not only back away but also lift their trunks a bit, probably so that the mouse doesn't climb into it. If that is the case than it definitely can be called "fear". I prefer the "afraid that the mouse will climb into his trunk and so the elephant can't breath"-explanation.

[@ikaruseijin01]

"I've brought a bucket full of mice" You know, I must confess I never expected to hear those words in my life.

[@Deck_Z]

So it’s been 7 years I suspect that this is a abandoned account

[@drose5718]

@@Deck_Z rest in peace, abandoned account

[@gwingcommander]

Still the single most surprising thing I ever saw on this show. Even with all the cool stuff they did, this one was the one that left me totally gobsmacked.

[@seraphinaaizen6278]

Huh....I'll be honest, that's not the result I expected either. There doesn't seem to be any doubt that the elephants reacted to the mouse. I guess the "why" of it is still a mystery, but that's unexpectedly weird. I suspect that it's probably not so much the fact it was a mouse; it's the fact that it's white. Elephants don't have particularly good eyesight. The reason why the dung flipping over on its own didn't do anything may be because it essentially fades into the background. The mouse, however, would have had a high contrast and would probably be visible to the elephant. Given it would - to the elephant's eyes- seem to appear out of nowhere, that might be what caused the reaction. I don't know if that's the actual reason, but it seems plausible. I'm not sure that an elephant's eye sight is good enough that they'd be able to tell what they were looking at actually WAS a mouse. And even if they could, white mice are domesticated; wild elephants would never have seen a white mouse before and probably wouldn't know what it was anyway.

[@jordankehler]

2:46 the pinnacle of this video

[@Flickfinder]

A friend with experience with circus elephants once told me that elephants don't like mice because mice sometimes make nests in the elephant's ears, and they have no way to get the mice out. It must be very bothersome to have mice do that, and an experience not soon forgotten.

[@spikebaduccino6613]

If only you guys would do a myth buster of cats being afraid of cucumbers

[@MarcusDarkstar]

When the elephant came up to the camera while they were talking was so cute... Elephants are such gentle animals..

[@mianfazlerazik3636]

Thats a question which has been bothering me since childhood..

[@germanomagnone]

this myth of the fear of elephants reminds me a lot when timmy the Dumbo friend mouse scares other elephants.

[@Mountainmonths]

wow the way the elephant walked up at the end was perfect

[@andrewpena9041]

"Slingshot" That is something I would expect Adam to say.

[@Chaingun]

that long duster he is wearing scares people though. i wore one in store other night and people went dead silent lol.

[@jbustop]

I believe the Elephants did NOT want to step on and kill the mouse!

[@latinourbano]

I miss shows like these

[@richc.3100]

I love these guys. I’m yelling at the screen “ you didn’t try the dung ball with out the m … oh never mind.”

[@tobythedog7478]

Little did they know they caused a invasive species of mice to overun the African frontier

[@plantyyy]

Harmonica Joe im pretty sure they kept the mice

[@geovannym.santana717]

I don't think so, because that species is easier to be seen by snakes, and eagles in that territory so it will soon be gone.

[@LegendKiller246]

The year is 2019, I can confirm. Mass swam of white mice destroying crops everywhere causing mass food deficiency.

[@MissMarshall]

Humans are repopulating at a much more alarming rate my friend.

[@YamiYatsu]

1:48 “I seen them in the discovery channel” is on the discovery channel lmao

[@XGrimzukiX]

“Sling shot” got me

[@AndersFloor]

I loved both pixels of this video.

[@Locrian]

1:50 I was trying to sleep and this sound terrified me because I thought it was a person in my house.

[@MaybeLily1234]

Day 39 of Quarantine: i am in the depths of KZbin now

[@jakkuwolfinsomnia8058]

It’s cute that the elephant is so careful around the mouse

[@marknewton3579]

Long long time ago, the mouse thought the elephant a lesson

[@adheeshb8874]

This is because elephants are not sure if it is a snake, black mambas can do some serious damage to elephants...

[@crash4661]

Adheesh B they wouldn’t have mistaken a black mamba for a small white mouse. The elephant probably avoided it since it could not recognize what it was, and if it was dangerous. Not sure though

[@dylanhaberman8374]

your dumb

[@AtarahDerek]

They were habituated. As in they'd lost most, if not all fear of people. People probably feed them to reinforce their docility. But for all intents and purposes, they are wild. The same thing can happen with bears, which is why you're told not to feed them. They lose their fear of people, but not their strength, and people don't lose their fear of the bear. That creates a conflict that always ends up deadly for at least the bear.

[@stevegreedo5687]

All twelve pixels of this video were quite entertaining.

[@jasminejeanine2239]

That's HILARIOUS I def wouldn't have guessed that outcome at all!

[@phillippi2]

There was a talk later on, suggesting that they might have been afraid of the mouse because it was albino.

[@wojtekpolska1013]

what?

[@Zahlen0]

what if it was just because there was something underneath it

[@jinzo2678]

I remember that I recommended this myth way back when I was a kid. I was ecstatic when they tested this myth.

[@HappyDude1]

Wow this is so old school filmed i like it its not overdramatic

[@basecrayon2861]

Humans: Why are elephants scared of mice Also humans when they see a bug: 🤨🧐😧😨😰

[@worddunlap]

My grandfather was a vet that specialized in elephants and told me why. Mice will try to run up the inside of the trunk thinking it is just another hole. It's akin to running up into the elephants head. He had treated an elephant that went on a rampage and it had a mouse in it's trunk.

[@jimjim8282]

Elephant: i fear no one, but that tiny mice creature… Mice: LOL

[@strawberrylemonadelioness]

The elephants and mice are adorable!

[@CA5H3W]

So a college professor once explained to me why elephants are scared of mice (although he was an ichthyologist "fish scientist" so idk how much water it holds) but what he told me was that once a mouse or rat reaches maturity they are pretty much in constant heat and are always looking to bang, so they are constantly emitting sex pheromones. He said that by some kind of convergent evolution elephants and rats ended up with almost identical sex pheromones, pheromones that in elephants are only produced by male bull elephants going through musth, and since bull elephants going through musth are very aggressive and dangerous unless it's a female elephant in heat or a bull in musth looking to challenge another male that elephants will avoid these pheromones at all costs so they can avoid crossing paths with a mature aggressive bull going through musth. It's the only explanation I've ever heard that makes sense on why a elephant would be afraid of or even care about a tiny little mouse

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

Mice have a VERY strong smell at the least. Its one of their few disadvantages. Could be that its feromones, never delved that deep. But it would imply the elephant would be afraid of a bunny as well...

[@bloemkoolendestreetgang450]

This would have to be tested by exposing the elephant to the mouses pheromones without a (visible) mouse present

[@CatboyChemicalSociety]

the reason is because mouses emit high frequency noises and elephants have big ears so the mouse is like an annoying person scratching a chalk board!!

[@tmr3volver]

indeed, elephants have very sensitive hearing and get spooked easily by noise. its why using ware elephants fell out of practice when guns became more prominent. before that, romans threw screaming pigs at them to make them stampede back into their own lines

[@henryambrose8607]

Mice aren't constantly making noises though

[@NerdilyDone]

@@henryambrose8607 True, but elephants may be capable of extrapolation. If they know tiny things make high pitched sounds, they can figure it out over time.

[@mspizzahut]

That first elephant was literally SHOOK 😳

[@icesilverwind]

Final control I would've done would be to use a black mouse. Or brown. Whatever is native to the area. But what a cool result.

[@FirstNameLastName-fd7ks]

What if instead of the elephant being afraid of a mouse, it was afraid of a thing coming out of the dung

[@jonnnycool6669]

Maybe the elephants didn't want to hurt the mouse

[@austinbishop7430]

Reminds me of fridays at school, science teacher every other week would put on mythbusters best prof ever

[@taekwondotime]

I miss this show. ☺

[@abdullahbaloch8287]

Elephant with mighty hart don't want to squeeze the mouse

[@dwimer362]

2:13, i got really worried because i had the same idea as jamie. am i becoming a walrus?

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

"Hey hun how was work today?" "Yeah not too bad I built a Mouse Delivery System"

[@gunchbandit4422]

top quality video production here. so what, did this video just get stolen off of so many other websites that it is just permanently in 144p now?

[@Lickicker]

Id like to think sonce elephants are smart enough their just trying not to step on mice

[@lauralang7379]

I personally think that the elephants are not so much "afraid" of mice, but rather that they see it's a very small creature and they are cautious because they don't want to step on it. They don't run away in a panic, (which would mean fear), but they do *stop* and back away a little. I think they are just trying not to step on a tiny creature.

[@chipbutty3645]

They wouldn’t care, elephants are fairly freindly animals but they would no care about squishing a random animal, they can also be quite huge assholes and very aggressive at times

[@joeerickson516]

"So elephants, 🐘 really are afraid 😨 😱 of mice?" 🐁

[@JLviper]

Lmao, at 7:14 its like the elephant realized he/she was on tv.

[@JennyAnimation]

@S0XF0X then maybe they should try with black mice

[@carlheritage1427]

Hoo boy... you're asking for trouble with that suggestion

[@Cresitan258]

It's basically how humans are afraid of spiders and cockroaches, regardless of their size.

[@numbers1and819]

Cresitan258 its not the same at all the mouse will suffocate the elephant by crawling up their trunk making it impossible to breathe

[@thomasraahauge5231]

50 million years ago (or something like that) when humanity showed up, they lived in the central parts of Africa. The spiders in those parts back then could deliver a terrible sting. It may not kill you, but it would still hurt like hell. Especially a child would be in horrific pains. So it made good sense to be quite aware of spiders, while still looking out for animals that could actually kill you. Black mambas are not only lethal, the pain suffered while dying is excrusiating. Ground living rodents had a nasty tendency to pass on parasites, so they should be dealt with, with great care. Thus, it made sense that humans (especially women, who were the ones actually looking after the small children) were afraid of spiders, snakes, and mice/rats. So when a woman runs screaming for cover after encountering one of said animals, she is NOT being pathetic or whimey. She is responding to an instinct that has preserved our ancestors. We are here today because of these instincts. The amusing part is, that new born infants are afraid of nothing. NOTHING. What we are afraid of, is taught by "monkey see, monkey do". So if a woman is not really afraid of spiders, chances are, that her offsprings aren't, either. Likewise, if a woman is terrified by owls, her offsprings will be quite prone to be afraid of owl. It does not matter, that owls have way too brittle bones to be an actual threat to us. I was, in fact, afraid of owls as a child. My mom is an Inuit, and according to pre-christian Inuits beliefs, owls were bad omens, as they could drag a soul to the Netherworld, were the drinking water has a fowl taste, stitches breaks for no reason, everyone is depressed, and all there is to eat are moths. So, off course she was afraid of owls. And so was I. Until one fine summerday, an owl landed 20 feet from where I sat. I was too startled to be scared and after a few seconds, I realized that the owl was way too small and way too cute to be dangerous. Since then, I liked owls. Bonus info: When Dad read Winnie the Pooh to us, he read the owl with a funny voice, so we wouldn't be afraid of it. That wouldn't have been much fun . . .

[@tyronegriggs8640]

what if a cockroach or a spider happens to find its way into your bed and just happen to find a place to go...say your butthole, then they lay eggs in there...id rather be able to shoot it out of my nose than have to try to shit it out

[@tyronegriggs8640]

and honestly people aren't scared of them because of their size (granted my last post may have caused some people to worry lol), but its because they just look so different than we do. People can look at shit like a butterfly KNOWING its a fucking insect (and yeah they eat dead shit too) yet not bat an eye, but when they look at roaches or spiders they're just NASTY DIRTY THINGS. so dumb. spiders are actually quite fascinating creatures.

[@qualynforeman6747]

But have you ever been bitten by a lady bug?

[@rustopholis]

I honestly think that elephants are a considerate animal and knowing it's size, didn't want to risk crushing the mouse. Just my opinion.

[@elizabethannsmith5006]

So adorable how that little mouse 🐁 scared that elephant 🐘

[@krypt1ccc739]

It's because the high frequency sounds that mice create are irritating

[@LePageChannel]

Stop spreading nonsense.

[@wojtekpolska1013]

when mouse was hidden/hold by Adam and Jamie Elephants did not care

[@delaneymontelli7913]

Ok this is cool and all but who thought of this Like who thought about introducing a mouse to an elephant

[@e4jasperi]

I tought so too... Probably they don't want to hurt them!

[@TheStygian]

Elephants are so majestic.

[@englishmuffinpizzas]

Makes perfect sense to me -- humans will definitely jump if they see a mouse or even a large bug, and will normally try to avoid them. It makes sense, because in the wild it's normally worth just avoiding conflict whenever possible - stuff can be venomous, have sharp teeth, etc.

[@antoinedalens6859]

Are you living in a cartoon ?

[@DianaAvila17]

Ive heard that the fear was due to the elephants not wanting the mice to go up their trunks which also sounded unlikely to me, but when the elephants realized it was a mouse it moved its trunk back and exhaled loudly so perhaps theres some truth to that statement.

[@viclange3826]

What would the mouse gain by doing that?

[@theusher2893]

​@@viclange3826 Mice instinctually seek small dark apertures

[@mygaffer]

I got served a 3 second ad. I'm not complaining, just shocked.

[@joeerickson516]

"Musophobia, fear 😱 😨 of mice?" 🐁