Sorry that part of my first post proposed something that others said "before". I was in the midst of filling out the registration forms, etc, when they arrived.

And Todd_a, to your comment below, I think we can at least give the guys credit (on that score) for trying the test of simply rolling the dung ball. That would seem as surprising to an elephant as unexpected sticks or rocks to a hose. :-) But maybe not. You make a point that something else unexpected ought to have been tested, too.

quote:

Originally posted by todd_a:
Elephants are likely like horses. Some are starteled by almost anything... especially something new. My ex had a hourse when she was a kid that was startled by sticks or rocks on the side of the road if it did not see it far away first and watch it as it came closer.

Yep, my first though immediately: they're using WHITE mice!
When I was in Botswana we were told that the best way to avoid being trampled upon in your sleeping bag at night is to put a white net over yourself - the elephants pick out the white color and get weary of it, as nothing natural in their environment (aside from tusks I guess) is white. I think the Mythbusters need a control brown mouse for me to buy their data/conclusion.

Why would mice crawl inside of elephant trunks in the first place? Especially if they get stuck! Then the mouse would die. Hardly an adaptive behavior...

sent color and speeceis could effect the responce of both animals

One may consider the fact that elephants are highly intelligent animals. Perhaps the elephant was cautious of the mouse as it knows the animal poses no threat. The fear of a mouse running up the trunk is stupid, all the elephant would have to do is blow and it would send the mouse flying. I say the elephant was cautious of the mouse because it respects life. I have seen an elephant get attacked by an entire pride of lions on Discovery and it was not affraid. Mouse? I don't think so.

I don’t think the elephants are afraid of the mice I believe it has to do with the high pinched screech they make and/or possibly the color

So, they aren't allowed to shoot a live fish, but they can risk a mouse being crushed by an elephant?

I think it's more of the mouse's squeaking than the mouse itself. Remember, the elephant has stronger hearing than humans. The squeaking might be like nails on a chalkboard for them.

I think they should re-try with a brown or black mouse to see if it really is the mouse shape.

Elephants have very tender feet. And, much like horses, they can't see their own feet. So of course they're going to be nervous around anything running around their feet that they can't see.
I don't think the squeeks would bother them though. They have calls that are actually out of our hearing range, so I don't think a mouse would bother them in that fashion.
Also, the whole running up the trunk thing? Sorry guys. That's rather far fetched. Next time they find a dead elephant with a mouse up it's trunk let me know.
At least, that's my opinion on the subject.
I would like them to retry it with a wild (or at least brown) mouse. I'm not sure it would make a differance, but it would be a little more acurate.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the high pitched sound that mice make. Elephants probably encounter many small moving things in natue, but a myth formed around having a fear of mice. And each time they backed away in the show I think it was after the mice squeaked.

I was under the same impression white mouse, not a natural color, but i was also thinking elephants being as helpful in nature as they are, theres been evidence of them helping other animals and their young from being stuck in the mud (the one i recall was a baby hippo) Perhaps they were just cautious of stepping on the mouse. Perhaps this should be tried with another type of small creature, a bird or something of a somewhat similiar size but not a mouse or an animal resembling IE squirrel.

I noticed that both times, the first thing the elephant did was jerk away it's trunk. I have heard that elephants are afraid of mice because they can crawl up the elephant's trunk, possibly suffocating it. I am not sure if this is true, though.

You left out of the hot chili pepper cure, both ginger ale and chocolate help ease the pain of a good burning chili pepper

I agree with the previous post about changing the color of the mouse. I am wondering if the sudden bright white against the normal beige more dull colors may have had something to do with the elephant's caution. I am curious to find out if you used a more neutral colored mouse if the elephant would ignore it like he did with the movement of the empty dung ball. FYI I envy your job, I am sure you hear that all the time.

I don't buy it, Elephants are a one of a kind animal, very human like! I know wild animals, and what I saw was a Elephant that did not want to kill a mouse by stepping on it, this one needs to be re-tested to prove that the elephant was just being kind!

These are some of the silliest hypotheses I've ever read; running up an elephant's trunk? Sensitive feet? Elephants track over Africa's rough terrain for many, many miles in search of food and water. Elephants, like horses, are herd animals. The work of Dr. Temple Granger has proved that animals respond to new stimulus with trepidation. For herd animals, a dragging chain or flapping plastic bag can make them fearful. Horses, and I assume elephants, despite their size, respond to new stimulus warily. Even small animals can be dangerous, (ie. snakes). I don't know if elephants can perceive the color white, but I assume that they can smell and see that the mouse is alive and moves away from the animal as a precautionary measure not knowing if it was dangerous or not.

From what I've seen on Elephants I don't feel it's fear that caused it to walk around the mouse but instead a simple desire not to step on the little mouse. I don't understand why it seems so strange to people that something other then humanity may have the capacity to choose not to hurt something not like itself. This is partially pure opinion, however I have watched fotage of an elephant who stepped on a turtle and upon realising it, not only didn't crush the turtles shell but lightly kicked it out from underneath it's foot.

There are a bunch of theory's on here about why the elephants might be afraid of mice; crawl up the trunk, color of the mouse, the presence of mice near humans, etc.

I just want to say it is a rare thing to see these far fetched myths proved plausible, and I thought this one was great. The Mouse CLEARLY had an effect on the elephant, even if the mouse didn't send the elephant running it cause the elephant to change its behavior.

Thank you Adam and Jamie, this is why I love your show!

This myth just screams REVISIT.

Disappointed that's all they tried. This episode wasn't up to their normal standards.

They should have talked wiht an expert on elephants also.

I agree with Lenaras, you should have also tried revealing the mouse when the elephant is a bit farther away.