Watch This 13,000 Pound Elephant Show No Respect for Personal Space and Face-Off with a Car

Key Points

• Savannah elephants are huge! Males can be more than 13,000 pounds and 13 feet tall!
• Elephant tusks are actually incisor teeth and are made of ivory covered in enamel.
• In this video, the driver tries to redirect the elephant by its tusks to no avail. Take caution because the tusks are strong and deadly!

This is an amazing clip where a huge elephant gives some humans a gentle reminder of exactly who is boss! The huge animal repeatedly pushes at the safari jeep and at the driver who tries to fend it off with his hand! This must be the most futile gesture ever! Eventually, the humans get the message, start up the jeep and drive off. Perhaps the elephant had had enough human company for one day!

How Big Are African Elephants?

This elephant is dwarfing the safari jeep but just how big are these animals? The vital statistics of the Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana) are impressive! The bulls (males) can weigh up to 13,889 pounds whilst the females can reach 7,716 pounds. From ground to shoulder height, the bulls can be 13 feet and the females can be eight and a half feet.

An elephant’s trunk alone can be six and a half feet long and weigh up to 440 pounds. It is actually a fusion of the nose and upper lip and a total of eight muscles allow the elephant to move it around so dexterously. It has no bone or cartilage in it though.

What Are an Elephant’s Tusks For?

The driver tries to grasp hold of the tusks to steer the elephant’s head away from the jeep – without success. They are actually incisor teeth and are made from ivory. This is a substance called dentine, which is a type of hard, dense, and bony tissue. The whole tusk is then wrapped in enamel which is the hardest type of animal tissue and can stand up to a lot of wear and tear. In African elephants, they are found in both males and females and they continually grow.

Elephant tusks serve many purposes. They are used for digging in the ground to find water, salt, and roots but are also great for stripping tree bark and marking trees. You will also see elephants lifting things with their tusks and they provide protection for the trunk. Tusks are also used in elephant behavior – in offense and defense and in sexual display!

Watch the Fascinating Video Below!