Elephant's graveyard
Encyclopedia
An elephant graveyard is a place where, according to legend, older elephants instinctively direct themselves when they reach a certain age. They then die there alone, far from the group.
which had 27 Palaeoloxodon antiquus
skeletons. In that particular case the tusks of the skeletons were missing, which indicates either that hunters killed a group of elephants in one spot, or else that opportunistic scavengers removed the tusks from a natural die-off.
Other theories focus on elephant behavior during lean times, suggesting that starving elephants gather in places where finding food is easier, and subsequently die there. Similarly, Rupert Sheldrake
notes that elephant skeletons are frequently found in groups near permanent sources of water and suggests that elephants suffering from malnutrition instinctively seek out sources of water in the hopes of improving their condition. The elephants that do not improve develop increasingly low blood sugar, slip into a coma
and die. Finally, older elephants whose teeth have worn out (typically after their sixth set of teeth) seek out soft water plants and eventually die near watering holes.
The myth was popularised in films such as Trader Horn
and MGM's Tarzan movies, in which groups of greedy explorers attempt to locate the elephants' graveyard, on the fictional Mutia Escarpment, in search of its riches of ivory. More recently, Walt Disney's The Lion King
referred to the motif. Also, one episode of Kimba the White Lion
revolved around it.
, "elephants' graveyard" is an informal term for a hypothetical accumulation of "large blocks of country rock stoped
from the roofs of batholiths".
Origin
There are several theories about the term's origin. One theory revolves around people finding groups of elephant skeletons together, or observing old elephants and skeletons in the same habitat as Kenneth Armitage suggests. Others such as Enrico Bruhl suggest that the term may spring from group die-offs such as one he excavated in Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
which had 27 Palaeoloxodon antiquus
Straight-tusked Elephant
The Straight-tusked Elephant is an extinct species of elephant closely related to the living Asian Elephant. It inhabited Europe during the Middle and Late Pleistocene . Some experts regard the smaller Asian species E...
skeletons. In that particular case the tusks of the skeletons were missing, which indicates either that hunters killed a group of elephants in one spot, or else that opportunistic scavengers removed the tusks from a natural die-off.
Other theories focus on elephant behavior during lean times, suggesting that starving elephants gather in places where finding food is easier, and subsequently die there. Similarly, Rupert Sheldrake
Rupert Sheldrake
Rupert Sheldrake is an English scientist. He is known for having proposed an unorthodox account of morphogenesis and for his research into parapsychology. His books and papers stem from his theory of morphic resonance, and cover topics such as animal and plant development and behaviour, memory,...
notes that elephant skeletons are frequently found in groups near permanent sources of water and suggests that elephants suffering from malnutrition instinctively seek out sources of water in the hopes of improving their condition. The elephants that do not improve develop increasingly low blood sugar, slip into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
and die. Finally, older elephants whose teeth have worn out (typically after their sixth set of teeth) seek out soft water plants and eventually die near watering holes.
The myth was popularised in films such as Trader Horn
Trader Horn (1931 film)
Trader Horn is the first non-documentary film shot on location in Africa. The 1931 movie tells of the adventures of real-life trader and adventurer Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn on safari in Africa. It featured many authentic shots of African wildlife and a great deal of inauthentic plot. It was...
and MGM's Tarzan movies, in which groups of greedy explorers attempt to locate the elephants' graveyard, on the fictional Mutia Escarpment, in search of its riches of ivory. More recently, Walt Disney's The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
referred to the motif. Also, one episode of Kimba the White Lion
Kimba the White Lion
, known in the United States as Kimba the White Lion, is an anime series from the 1960s. Created by Osamu Tezuka and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950, it was the first color animated television series created in Japan. The manga was first published in serialized...
revolved around it.
Derivative meanings
In geologyGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, "elephants' graveyard" is an informal term for a hypothetical accumulation of "large blocks of country rock stoped
Stoping
Stoping is a process accommodating the ascent of magmatic bodies from their sources in the mantle or lower crust to the surface. The theory was independently developed by Canadian geologist Reginald Aldworth Daly and American geologist Joseph Barrell....
from the roofs of batholiths".
See also
- Elephant intelligenceElephant intelligenceElephants are amongst the world's most intelligent species. With a mass of just over 5 kg , elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal, and although the largest whales have body masses twenty-fold those of a typical elephant, whale brains are barely twice the mass of an...
and reports of elephant death rituals
External links
- www.upali.ch/teeth_en.html Teeth, second dentition, tusks - Contains information about the relevance of elephant teeth to the elephant graveyard myth
- The Elephant Debate - Contains information about the elephant graveyard myth.