Rhino Poops to Claim Watering Hole, Watch as This Elephant Has Other Plans

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Things can get tense around watering holes in Africa. Resources can be limited, and even big herbivores may get aggressive over who has the right to drink the water. We are lucky enough to see some fascinating animal behavior from a YouTube video uploaded by Ruth McDunn. In the video, filmed in the Zulu Nyala Game Preserve in South Africa, a rhino mother with her baby tried to make a claim over a watering hole, but three big elephants had different ideas.

What’s Going On in The Video?

The video begins with the rhino mother pooping near a watering hole and an elephant charging at her. You might think the rhino just needed to poop, but there is more to this behavior than meets the eye. For many animals, including rhinos, dung is a way to mark territory. This rhino mother may have been feeling extra protective with her baby in tow, so she pooped near the water, claiming the resource as hers.

This act seemed to anger the elephant, who mock-charged the rhino. Elephants will usually fake charge an animal or person they see as a threat in an attempt to scare the danger away before getting physical. The elephant then escalates the situation by pushing the rhino with its trunk. But the mother rhino stands her ground.

Who Wins This Confrontation?

After the mother rhino continues to face the elephant, it appears to head back into the jungle and bring its friends. When the three elephants approach the watering hole for a drink, the rhino mother and her baby remain facing the elephants.

The elephant is not satisfied once it gets a drink and starts picking up logs and other debris, throwing it in the general direction of the rhinos. The elephant’s friends seem much less interested in getting involved in this fight, but they do stand behind as backup.

As the video ends, the aggressive elephant is flinging branches at the two rhinos, who are slowly backing up. We can only hope the confrontation ended peacefully without anyone getting hurt. Although elephants are much bigger than rhinos, rhinos are fierce with sharp horns, and both animals could get injured in a fight.

Who is More Aggressive? Rhinos or Elephants?

In this video, the elephant appears to be the instigating party, although we should remember the elephant was likely reacting to the rhino mother’s territorial claim. The rhino in the video appears to be a white rhino, which is common in the Zulu Nyala Game Preserve in South Africa.

Unlike black rhinos, which are more aggressive, white rhinos tend to be calmer. Perhaps that’s why this confrontation didn’t lead to an all-out fight. Although the mother rhino didn’t back off, she didn’t get overly aggressive either. As for elephants, in general, they are not aggressive creatures, but it can vary by individual. They can also get more aggressive when competing for resources. Also, animals traveling with their young may act more aggressively to protect their offspring.

Why Poop Is Important to Rhinos

As you may remember, the video began with the rhino mother pooping near the water hole. Poop is an important communication tool for rhinos and other animals. Chemicals in urine or dung can tell other animals a lot about the animal that left it there, and it’s the same reason dogs like to sniff fire hydrants.

Scientists have discovered that rhinos poop in a communal area, like a communal toilet. Other rhinos can come along and sniff, and learn important information about members of its species. Is there a female nearby ready to mate? Has a male marked his territory? This and other questions can be answered by sniffing the dung.

Who Would Win in an Elephant Vs. Rhino Fight?

There aren’t many known fights among these two species although you can find social media videos of the two facing off. In general, each animal is likely intelligent enough to know a fight with the other would be a bad idea. Elephants have a reputation for being highly intelligent animals, but rhinos are also very intelligent.

Elephants win out on size. Male African elephants can weigh up to 14,000 pounds. White rhinos are much smaller with males weighing in around 4,000 to 6,000 pounds. However, rhinos have both speed and agility. They also have extremely sharp horns. However, if an elephant could get the advantage with their massive hooves and strong tusks, they could likely flip the rhino and cause some considerable damage.

It seems best for both species to try to avoid confrontations with each other whenever possible.