Why are elephants scared of mice?

Question

Why are elephants scared of mice?

Answer 1

Because they make Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X

Answer 2

their not fool

Answer 3

I used to think that it was just a myth, but then I saw Mythbusters. Jamie and Adam covered a mouse with a fake dung pile in Africa and as soon as elephants walked by, they pulled up the dung pile using a long string. The elelphants, while not scared, moved away from the mouse. The Mythbusters tried again with no mouse under the dung to see if the dung scared the elephants and they got no reaction. They tried the mouse under the dung again and once again the elephants moved away from the mouse. Definite possibility.

Answer 4

They aren't that's a myth.

Answer 5

Elephants are not afraid of mice. It's all just a bunch of jokes because elephants pretty much run away from everything they know nothing about. But in zoo's elephants see mice all the time. They know what mice are and are not afraid of them. 'Cause mice are everywhere in stables and stuff.

Answer 6

Mythbusters tested the myth, the result was plausible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpTSA_25w...

Mythbusters: Are elephants afraid of mice?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters...

Myth statement: Elephants are scared of mice.

Status: Plausible

Notes: The Mythbusters travel to a wildlife preserve in Africa to find wild elephants to test the myth on. The Mythbusters then hid a mouse under a ball of elephant dung, planning to flip the dung over and reveal the mouse when the elephants approach it. When they flipped the dung and revealed the mouse, the approaching elephant was startled and quickly moved away from the mouse. The Mythbusters then flipped dung without the mouse under it, but the elephants did not react at all. They then retried their first experiment to confirm their results, and the elephant noticed the mouse and actively avoided it. Even though the elephants didn't panic at the sight of the mouse, the fact that they acted cautiously around them was enough to have the myth be considered plausible.

Answer 7

Elephants are the largest living land animal, and they have no reason to fear mice. In fact, elephants do not fear mice. A healthy elephant does not fear any animals. Danger comes only from man and, when elephants are in the wild, from natural disasters such as drought or fire.

Why then is it commonly believed that elephants are afraid of mice? Maybe because someone thought that a mouse might get into the elephant's trunk and either hurt or suffocate the large animal.

Mice are often found in the stalls of captive elephants. Since elephants have such an excellent sense of smell, they know that the mice are there, but they simply pay no attention to the small creatures.

Answer 8

they aren't! that is just a movie thing

Answer 9

Ok I looked at your other answers and the ones saying it is a myth are not telling the truth....Ok there is a show called MythBusters I am not sure if you have heard of it but the proved that it is not a myth they used real elephants and real mice and the elephants were naturally scared I don't know why but I hope this helps you out any way!

Answer 10

I think ''Mythbusters'' busted the myth.