Elephants are immense and majestic creatures, and this size always makes for an impressive sighting. Like all other living things, they have a range of temperatures which they find comfortable.
This footage of a herd of elephants enjoying a very satisfying looking mud bath was sent to Latest Sightings by the African Bioacoustics Community, and comes from the Kruger National Park.
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It’s not always obvious what animals are thinking or feeling, but it seems pretty safe to say that the elephants in this herd were having the time of their lives as they frolicked in the cool mud.
The Head Of The Herd
Right at the head of that herd wasn’t the matriarch elephant, like one might expect, but instead it was the tiniest little calf, leading the entire herd into the bath.
The matriarch elephant typically leads the herd as the oldest and most experienced female. It turned out that this elephant calf didn’t need to have that experience to know that cooling off in the mud was a good thing.
The rest of the elephants followed their little leader into the thick mud, trusting the calf not to lead them astray, and knowing that they were in for a good time with this mud bath.
Nature’s Cooling System
Days out on the African savanna can reach high temperatures, and due to their size, elephants have a lot of skin to absorb that heat and keep them warm.
There’s nothing better than a good covering of cool mud to help them feel better, and stop them from overheating. Seeing how enthusiastic the elephants are in the mud makes it clear just how much this means to them.
Not only does the mud cool them down in the moment, but having it on their skin helps them stay cool for longer, whereas if it was just water they’d dry quickly and start warming up again.
The Most Satisfying Day
It’s actually quite wholesome to see these enormous creatures so excited about something, and the calf that led them there was the most excited of all. It had done the right thing leading the herd to the mud.
It had also had a good idea by being at the front of the herd, as the excitement of the other elephants quickly led to them being a little more rambunctious, and the calf didn’t yet have the size or strength to hold up well in that kind of environment.
Unlike other animals which also like to bathe in mud, like rhino and hippos, elephants can also use their trunks to spread the wet mud around, and they used them with gusto, flinging the mud through the air.
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With many highly sought after safari sightings featuring dangerous predators actively taking down their prey, it’s wonderfully refreshing to see animals doing nothing more than enjoying themselves.
Wholesome sightings such as these show that the Kruger really does have something for everyone, and that sometimes even the largest creatures on the planet will follow their littlest members.
