Many people have seen the documentary When Elephants Fight. It’s a beautiful film that shows when two elephants fight, their behavior is fascinating and amazing to watch. But what exactly goes on when an elephant fights? What are they thinking? How do they react?
What does it mean when an elephant flaps its ears or tucks its tail under itself? In this article, we will discuss all of these topics in detail so you can get a better understanding of what happens during a battle between two elephants.
Flapping ears
This is one of the first things that you will notice when an elephant flaps its ears. This could be a sign they are excited, scared, or angry. They do this by blowing air through their trunk and then shaking it around to create the noise for as long as possible. If an elephant does not stop after about 30 seconds it may become aggressive with another nearby animal or human so keep your distance if you see them doing this.* Tucking tail under themselves
When elephants tuck their trunks underneath themselves like shown in the image above it usually means something along the lines of “I’m feeling vulnerable right now.” You might also see some other signs such as puffing up their chests, turning away and even raising their foreheads. If you see an elephant tucking its tail under itself, back away slowly so they know you are not a threat.*
Hiding ears
An elephant will cover their head with both of their trunks when they are feeling threatened in some way. It is common to see one trunk on the top of the ear while the other covers them from below as shown in this image. This could also show that they want someone else to fight for them or it could be because they don’t want anyone seeing how scared they actually are.* Rolling over onto stomach
If an elephant feels like all hope has been lost then he might roll over onto his stomach which signals to surrender defeat. They might do this when they are being chased by males or when the male is ready to mate with her. This might also happen when she knows that there’s no more point in fighting.* Raising their foreheads
If an elephant feels threatened, it will raise its head and forehead into a “dominance display” as if telling another animal not to mess with them. They do this so other elephants know who’s in charge of the situation.* Tucking tail underbody
When an elephant wants to avoid any confrontation he’ll tuck his tail underneath him which signals submission for dominance like seen on almost all animals. It could be because he doesn’t want anyone seeing how scared he actually is too.”***
Elephants are majestic creatures that have keen intelligence when it comes to their surroundings and social interactions. But, they are also formidable opponents when engaging in conflict with one another.
This article discusses the behavioral patterns of elephants during elephant fights as well as how these conflicts can be prevented by humans. The behavior of an elephant is largely determined by its age and maturity level which will determine whether or not it participates in aggressive acts against members of its own species. In many cases, this type of behavior partakes only from larger adult male specimens who have reached sexual maturity but haven’t been able to find mates yet due to competition for females being high among males that were born into the same time period. Elephants usually find themselves in this situation when they are outnumbered by a group of females or when they have been pushed out from the herd due to aggressive competition.
Typically, elephants will find opportunities for these acts during periods where members of their own species gather around areas that contain water sources and other resources which can cause them to congregate together in large numbers. During such times, elephants may behave aggressively towards one another until it becomes clear who is more dominant among all beings present at the time. The most common form of conflict between two elephants happens when there is an unequal number of males and females with both sexes in attendance because if either sex has limited access to mates then they will be willing to do anything necessary to gain dominance over each other as well as any other elephants.
