Are elephants afraid of mice? Education & Reference Q&A

Although you may have seen many cartoons and films which show elephants being terrified by tiny mice, in reality elephants pay as little attention to mice, which often scuttle around their feet, as you would pay a sparrow in your garden or in the street. Many people believe that the elephant would be afraid of the mouse because it is small enough to crawl up inside the elephant’s trunk and suffocate it. This has almost definitely never happened. If it did, the elephant could easily draw a breath and blow the mouse out again.