Today we’re going to be taking a look at the 8 Animals That Can Kill An Elephant.
Elephants are the largest animal on land. They can weigh more than 6 tons and measure over 13 feet high, that’s truly massive by any scale. Their sheer size alone makes it very hard for almost any animal to successfully kill them. But sometimes the cards are stacked against even the biggest of animals. The upcoming 8 animals are known to have killed elephants in the wild; albeit very rarely, let’s take a look.
- Lions.
Lions and Elephants can get into conflict with each other in the wild. They are both strong and can inflict serious damage to each other. Lions are very fast and have an advantage here as elephants are much slower in comparison, and Lions can attack from behind. Lions also are more agile and have huge canines that they can use to bite an elephant in several places in order to weaken it gradually. So the outcome depends on the circumstances and whether the Elephant is ganged by more than one Lion or not.
- Tigers.
Tigers are another big cat that can kill an elephant and for the same reasons. Tigers have even better agility and a stronger bite than Lions so will be more effective in executing an attack. Tigers usually avoid strong opponents even more so than Lions as they are solo hunters and depend on their well-being to survive, whereas Lions hunt in groups. So a serious injury can be devastating to their survival. Even with this avoidance technique in place; Sumatran and Bengal Tigers usually find themselves in fights with elephants and in many cases they end up killing the elephant.
- Rhinoceros.
Rhinoceros are another huge animal that are built like a tank. These two monsters typically avoid each other and for good reasons. But if a Rhinoceros finds itself in a fight situation it will certainly defend itself with all its power. The Rhino can kill an elephant if it is successful in striking the Elephant straight on with its Horn.
- Hippopotamus.
Like Rhinos, Hippos are gigantic animals that can easily defend themselves against any animal including Elephants. An Adult Hippo has one of the largest teeth in the animal kingdom and can stab any kind of flesh including that of Elephants. Their skin also has many protective layers that can help them against elephant attacks. They are super fast for their size and can charge with tremendous speeds; crushing anything and everything in their path.
- Crocodiles.
Crocodiles are super swimmers and have the upper hand in the water. They are also sneaky creatures and usually creep up on prey. Crocodiles have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom and a single bite can easily kill most animals. Crocodiles usually go for the elephant’s trunk and hold it until they weaken the elephant in order to drown it. Crocodiles frequently kill other massive animals, without much effort. But they usually attack only weak or baby elephants.
- Hyenas.
Hyenas are not as strong as the big cats, but what they lack in size they compensate for with coordination and determination. While a single Hyena cannot kill a fully grown elephant, a group of Hyenas can easily do so. No animal big or small is safe from a clan of determined Hyenas, not even Lions. Hyenas will gang upon an elephant no matter how big it is and bite it from several places, weakening it in the process until it gives up.
- Snakes.
Some snakes can be very poisonous and deadly. Cobras in particular can deliver a huge amount of venom in a single bite and that amount can potentially kill a big animal such as an elephant. This venom targets vital organs like the brain and lungs and can cause cardiac arrests and paralyze the victim. So it’s more of a chemical fight than a physical one; that’s why we did not mention big snakes like pythons or anacondas, as they are not strong enough to cause serious harm to an elephant.
- Other Elephants.
Believe it or not; many animals die on the hand of their own species, and elephants are no different. Male elephants surging in testosterone usually fight each other for dominance and in the process one of the elephants gets killed. Usually the biggest elephant wins, but sometimes the smaller one can get lucky with the correct kind of attacks.