Quick Take
- What the elephant does with its trunk the moment it detects the crocodile defies everything the 'gentle giant' reputation suggests. See the trunk in action →
- There's a specific pre-attack behavior in the footage that signals the crocodile's situation is about to get catastrophically worse. Watch the attack sequence →
- Why a crocodile, one of nature's most feared ambush predators, has almost no advantage once this particular elephant gets involved. Understand the elephant's aggression →
- The elephant's anatomy holds a statistic that makes the croc's chances look even grimmer than you'd expect. See the trunk strength stat →
When we say elephant and crocodile, it seems odd that we could put them in the same sentence. After all, crocodiles are powerful ambush predators with formidable jaws and a reputation as dangerous opponents in the water. And on the other hand, elephants are typically known as gentle giants. However, this elephant is absolutely not gentle in this video above. Don’t miss the thrilling action!
Massive Bull Elephant Angry at Crocodile
The short YouTube video clip shown at the top of this blog post shows footage from Africa of a massive bull elephant in a tense encounter with a crocodile. The Latest Sightings YouTube channel shared the video with its millions of subscribers. They share videos almost daily of crazy experiences in Africa, such as seeing an antelope fight both wild dogs and hippos, a zebra slowly dying after being attacked, or adorable videos of cubs bothering their father.
Crocodile Losing Fight With Elephant
Elephant tusks can weigh up to 100 pounds each.An elephant’s tusks can weigh more than 100 pounds each in especially large bulls.Elephant tusks can weigh up to 100 pounds each.
©Guenter Guni/iStock via Getty Images
As the video begins, we see a massive elephant standing in the water and reacting to something below the surface. At first, it looks as though this elephant is just drinking. But then he starts to pound on the water, which shows us he is angry. As the camera pans we see a few other elephants that are on the shoreline.
Suddenly, the elephant drives his trunk downward and appears to yank the crocodile partly out of the water. The crocodile, struggling for its life, does everything he can to pull back. According to the National Library of Medicine, “The whole trunk is capable of lifting up to 350 kg,” which is approximately 772 pounds! With the elephant’s size and strength, the crocodile appears to be at a clear disadvantage in that moment.
One plausible explanation is that the elephants approached the water to drink and the bull reacted defensively to the crocodile’s presence, but the exact trigger for the encounter is not clear from the video alone. At one point, we even see the elephant stomp on the crocodile.
Are Elephants Aggressive?
Elephants are often called ‘gentle giants’ because they are highly social, intelligent animals, even though they can also be dangerous in certain situations. African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth and can reach roughly 13 feet tall and as much as 14,000 pounds. However, despite their size, these herbivorous mammals are often calm and social, though they can become aggressive when threatened.
The Scientific American Journal reminds us that “elephants are some of the most intelligent, social, and empathic animals around.” However, even intelligent and empathic animals can respond forcefully to perceived threats, and this elephant appears to do exactly that in the video.
