Elephants Are Afraid of Mice fact

Are Elephants Really Afraid of Mice?

Elephants are essentially afraid of mice, but not for the reasons you might think. Like other mammals elephants, are hardwired to be startled by things that move fast, including mice.

While it has never been shown that elephants are afraid of mice in the same way some people are afraid of snakes or spiders (it isn’t like the mere presence of a mouse sends an elephant running), elephants do seem to get startled by mice scurrying around the same way they would if any creature was moving quickly around them.

In other words, this is a bit more like cats and dogs, where cats aren’t inherently scared of dogs, but are easily startled when a dog starts moving around quickly.

Check out the videos below which hints at the truth behind the “Elephants are afraid of mice” idea.