r/interesting Feb 26 '25

NATURE Magnificent elephant drinking 60L of water in seconds

23.4k Upvotes

288 comments sorted by

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994

u/jkpatches Feb 26 '25

Wow, didn't know elephant tusks could criss cross like that

312

u/exotics Feb 26 '25

That’s what I noticed too. Kinda neat because the elephant could just rest its trunk in the cross.

251

u/BMB281 Feb 26 '25

It’s like me resting my huge penis on my sagging pants!

33

u/ruthie-lynn Feb 27 '25

When it’s cold outside and I bend over with tight pants on sometimes my penis retracts into my body

21

u/XDSHENANNIGANZ Feb 27 '25

Wow ok buddy, biggus dickus over there starts this convo and now your a freakin' transformer.

The hell is with people bragging all the time.

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46

u/pardybill Feb 26 '25

No need to brag bro

8

u/KirkLazarusAlterEgo Feb 27 '25

Look at this guy and his MAGNUM DONG

3

u/BMB281 Feb 27 '25

Make sure to tell your lady friends

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6

u/DriBonez Feb 27 '25

I too use this man's pants.

4

u/pewpewshazaam Feb 26 '25

Wait, but the tusks are real??

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49

u/Oh_Another_Thing Feb 26 '25

I seem to remember that some elephants genetically have tusks that go inward if they live in jungles so that they don't get caught in trees and vines, and others gow outward if the live on open areas because that doesn't happen. But seeing the tusks grow downward seems weird, because part of the reason to have tusks is to defend from predators coming at you.

35

u/SailsTacks Feb 26 '25

Being that tusks are elongated incisors (teeth), they naturally grow down. Tusks low to the ground gives them the advantage against the predators they tower over. Tusk ends at eye level to a lion or clan of hyenas means they’ll think twice before attacking a calf in the herd.

African Savanna elephants often have a working tusk and a fighting tusk. The working tusk is more worn, because it’s often used for peeling bark off of trees, or uprooting trees and brush. The fighting tusk is kept sharp and unblemished to look intimidating. Both are used when fighting and attacking though.

9

u/Dioxybenzone Feb 27 '25

Isn’t it more likely that they have a “handedness” like humans almost always have a dominant hand? I feel like they aren’t prioritizing keeping one unblemished so much as using the other out of habit

13

u/SailsTacks Feb 27 '25 edited Feb 27 '25

100% agree. Very much a handedness side behavior. I filmed an older bull I named “Rusty” expertly peel the bark off of a tree with one tusk, from 40 feet away. He was old, but still going at it. They love pushing trees down.

EDIT: Fighting Tusks are a thing. Elephants are highly intelligent.

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38

u/InvalidEntrance Feb 26 '25

Not really supposed to, sometimes it just happens.

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14

u/Debicon Feb 26 '25

Ive just been to south africa at the Kruger National Park, and you See so many elephant herds that tear down bushes and grass plains using their Trunk like we use our hands. They get wheat bundels rolled up with the tip and only eat the top Part thats softer.they Stick it in their mouth and rip off the rootie bit of the gras with their trunk

16

u/KUPA_BEAST Feb 26 '25

UNFORTUNATELY that’s because many don’t get a chance to even get that big because of poaching.

4

u/MtM666 Feb 26 '25

I don't understand why they are not trimming away the tusk. The tusk is hindering the mobility of the trunk as you could see and the elephant would really have a hard time eating stuff or spraying water or dirt on itself.

https://youtu.be/tChAEAY2UIY?t=30

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278

u/WREAgent364 Feb 26 '25

Yeah... That's me in the morning after a night of drinking.

70

u/NonCreditableHuman Feb 26 '25

"How can I be so thirsty when I drank so much last night?"

-Me

17

u/Osteo_Warrior Feb 26 '25

Get those electrolytes in you man.

12

u/Truji11o Feb 26 '25

It’s what plants crave, after all.

9

u/ssp25 Feb 26 '25

Like brawndo????

12

u/NonCreditableHuman Feb 26 '25

I love that documentary.

4

u/ssp25 Feb 26 '25

I don't like the reality it's based on.... Called 2025

4

u/Truji11o Feb 26 '25

Exactly! You can’t expect them to use water, like from the toilet.

4

u/ssp25 Feb 26 '25

That's gross and doesn't make sense. Brawndo has electrolytes

3

u/Truji11o Feb 26 '25

You nailed it. Now, do you think we have time for Starbucks?

3

u/ssp25 Feb 26 '25

Yeah I could go for Starbucks

3

u/FR0ZENBERG Feb 27 '25

Cause you peed too much.

3

u/adoxographyadlibitum Feb 27 '25

Answer: Because I also ate a shitton of salty food after I got drunk

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147

u/Party_Gap9480 Feb 26 '25

That’s the biggest elephant I’ve ever seen

48

u/RevoOps Feb 26 '25

It does seem to be drawn on a different scale.

Probably because we are used to seeing videos where the smaller asian elephant interacting with humans.

15

u/SinkholeS Feb 26 '25

You've never seen the video of Thechikottukavu Ramachandran? https://imgur.com/gallery/R8WC4cz

5

u/Party_Gap9480 Feb 26 '25

I had no idea I got this big

4

u/shakygator Feb 26 '25

hello there

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5

u/kizmitraindeer Feb 26 '25

So sad. :( 60 years??

15

u/SinkholeS Feb 26 '25

Very sad. This is not a happy elephant. Seems like they parade him around. No dignity for a majestic creature.

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5

u/Suckmestupit Feb 26 '25

Most dangerous captive animal? By size easily but it’s that close to a packed crowd?

11

u/pardybill Feb 26 '25

Yeah he’s trotted out for ceremonies. If I’m not misremembering one year he stampeded and killed like 20 people.

8

u/Gh0stMan0nThird Feb 26 '25

Low key there is some degree of schadenfreude I feel when people think they have some kind of spiritual connection to an animal and it just absolutely obliterates them.

I feel bad for the kids though who don't know any better and get dragged to stuff like that.

3

u/findthatzen Feb 27 '25

Magical thinking meeting reality will never not be funmy

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4

u/Helioplex901 Feb 27 '25

He knows it too. When deer fight, they loose their horns, it’s the same with elephants and their tusks. An elephant like that probably gets all the choice women and may have lost his tusks a time or two, but nobody who challenges him wins anymore. Could be that he is captive on a reserve with no challengers, elephants rarely fight with their own family ESPECIALLY in captivity. When he passes, there will be a worthy successor that he probably sired or grandsired that will take his place to protect and lead the herd.

3

u/kenziethemom Feb 27 '25

My first thought was "not an elephant, that's a fucking mammoth"

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34

u/gravyandchickensoup Feb 26 '25

Bro, just imagine it, you snorting water up into your nose, holding it there, and then blowing your nose full of water into your mouth so that way you can drink it. What a life.

31

u/jldtsu Feb 26 '25

and your nose is also your hand.

4

u/ShriCamel Feb 27 '25

Was just thinking the same!

How much practice would it take not to inhale the water accidentally? I'd do it once and say "Nope, never again!"

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23

u/Daytona1313 Feb 26 '25

Got nothing on my dog. Can drink 1L and slop 59L all over floor, milliseconds.

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16

u/sandsonic Feb 26 '25

Yep, we’ve all been there after that one night Elephantbro

13

u/Weary-Wasabi1721 Feb 26 '25

Me after an afternoon nap drenched in sweat and thinking it's the next day

10

u/Lifesarisksofuckit Feb 26 '25

His little eyes when he’s drinking the water are so cute!

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15

u/Andrey_Gusev Feb 26 '25

Welp, snot-rich water :/

17

u/ic0sid0decahedr0n Feb 26 '25

Was going to say are they literally sucking the water into their nose and then shooting it into their mouth?

21

u/Andrey_Gusev Feb 26 '25

Yeap, into their mouth, into baby elephants's mouth, also onto themselves as a shower.

Well, if you think about it, their nose may be the cleanest nose of land-animals since they constantly use it to pump water in and out, huh.

9

u/Myrwyss Feb 26 '25

For some reason i always thought they just use the trunk like its mouth. Just suck the water in and then swallow through the nose rather than put into the mouth O.O

10

u/Theslootwhisperer Feb 26 '25

Yeah. I'm 53 and I've always assumed they just straight drank through their trunks. Wtf.

8

u/USbirds Feb 27 '25

This myth might be Disney's fault, because that does happen several times in Dumbo

5

u/alphadoublenegative Feb 27 '25

I recently had this same moment of realization with vampires, funnily enough

Apparently their fangs were never supposed to be hollow like straws to suck up blood through. I just… assumed

4

u/Janky_Pants Feb 26 '25

They say that about surfers because they constantly get salt water cycling through their nose.

3

u/Starumlunsta Feb 27 '25

I watched a video from a zoo where they were testing the health of their elephants by shooting saline up their nose and then collecting it as it dribbled out. Some of it came out filthy--likely due to sucking up muddy water to throw on their backs. So their noses may actually be the dirtiest!

9

u/BulbusDumbledork Feb 26 '25

imagine snorting buckets of water then projectile-blowing it into you mouth. but also your nose is your arm

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6

u/Connect_Corgi8444 Feb 26 '25

Free electrolytes and minerals

13

u/intergalacticskyline Feb 26 '25

1. Calculate the weight to volume ratio for the elephant:

  • Elephant weight = 12,000 lbs
  • Elephant drinking volume = 60 liters

Ratio = Weight / Volume Ratio = 12,000 lbs / 60 liters Ratio = 200 lbs per liter

This means for every 200 lbs of weight, the elephant can drink 1 liter of water.

2. Apply the same ratio to the human:

  • Human weight = 180 lbs
  • Ratio = 200 lbs per liter (same as the elephant)

We want to find the volume a human can drink. Let's set up the equation:

Ratio = Human weight / Human drinking volume

200 lbs/liter = 180 lbs / Human drinking volume

To solve for Human drinking volume, we can rearrange the equation:

Human drinking volume = 180 lbs / (200 lbs/liter) Human drinking volume = 180 / 200 liters Human drinking volume = 0.9 liters

3. Convert liters to cups:

We need to convert the human drinking volume from liters to cups. There are approximately 4.23 cups in 1 liter.

Human drinking volume in cups = 0.9 liters * 4.23 cups/liter Human drinking volume in cups = 3.807 cups

4. Round to a reasonable number of decimal places:

Since we are dealing with estimations and biological capacities, rounding to one decimal place is sufficient.

Equivalent human drinking volume in cups ≈ 3.8 cups

9

u/smileonamonday Feb 26 '25

We need to convert the human drinking volume from liters to cups

Why?

5

u/Seek_Equilibrium Feb 27 '25

Just ChatGPT things

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3

u/chiraltoad Feb 26 '25

I can drink like an elephant.

You may need to scale time per body volume too though, to be fair.

Or throat cross sectional area.

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5

u/Stripedpussy Feb 26 '25

Guess he didn't figure out yet that spraying 25-30 liters on tourist is way more fun

4

u/PM_ME_YOUR_PAUNCH Feb 26 '25

Hey that’s only 55 liters of water, I demand my remaining 5 liters

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3

u/CoItron_3030 Feb 26 '25

Specing into full nose on the skill tree is pretty epic

3

u/Eastbound_Pachyderm Feb 26 '25

What are those weird teeth? For some reason I feel like they would make good chess pieces

2

u/BeardedBrotherJoe Feb 26 '25

Dude that animal is beautiful

4

u/deftoast Feb 26 '25

That's a normal drink for Shaq.

2

u/cconnorss Feb 26 '25

I hate that any elephant has ever been hunted. They’re such great friends.

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1

u/jointlungs Feb 26 '25

Oh, I'm seeing this for first time.

1

u/Top-Masterpiece4604 Feb 26 '25

Even I feel thirsty now, after seeing this giant elephant.

1

u/Minotard Feb 26 '25

I got in trouble for eating my boogers; this guy has no problem though. 

1

u/x_VanHessian_x Feb 26 '25

How much does an elephant piss?

1

u/JewofTVC1986 Feb 26 '25

Imagine the piss he takes

1

u/lmsprsnl Feb 26 '25

I saw this in person! It was amazing

1

u/OriginalTayRoc Feb 26 '25

You could show an alien all the wacky animals of earth, and if you described an elephant afterwards they still wouldn't believe you. 

1

u/Jonathan_B52 Feb 26 '25

He's a bit long in the tooth...

1

u/Actual_Pollution5915 Feb 26 '25

Hate to take this out to bar and say drinks are on me.

1

u/hali420 Feb 26 '25

Sure, but have you seen the camels drinking water? Next level

1

u/deftPirate Feb 26 '25

One has to wonder how the trunk flavors the water...

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1

u/snoopidoop Feb 26 '25

Such a beautiful creature

1

u/ComoToMyParty15 Feb 26 '25

Such majestic creatures. Need more elephant content

1

u/Losendir Feb 26 '25

Me before I found out I’ve got diabetes

1

u/Suckmestupit Feb 26 '25

I’d love to know what that feels like as an elephant. Did it let out an ah when it was done??

1

u/RonMFCadillac Feb 26 '25

God damn I love elephants. So fucking cool.

1

u/NoTop4997 Feb 26 '25

The way the trunk just lays on the tusks reminds me of an old man locking his fingers on top of his belly.

1

u/reanocivn Feb 26 '25

"have you ever carried water for elephants?"

1

u/Gogurl72 Feb 26 '25

I wonder if he ever wishes someone would trim his tusks ?

1

u/Ashamed_Feedback3843 Feb 26 '25

16 gallons in American.

1

u/madwill Feb 26 '25

Elephant as this "I'm tired of this shit" look.

1

u/Reasonable-Recipe Feb 26 '25

Good thing that fence is there to keep everyone safe. Seems sturdy enough 

1

u/medievali95 Feb 26 '25

Those crossed tusks are badass

1

u/krovek42 Feb 26 '25

Two 5-gallon buckets? That’s more like 40 Liters

1

u/VonBrandtner Feb 26 '25

That's ~5gal bucket which is only ~19L.

1

u/im-not-a-cat-fr Feb 26 '25

So it's the water weight all this time??

1

u/JunketPuzzleheaded42 Feb 26 '25

I love the tiny fence to make sure the little humans don't get stepped on by mistake 😂

1

u/Waitn4ehUsername Feb 26 '25

He hehe! He does look like Al Gore!

1

u/PuzzleheadedWeird232 Feb 26 '25

they should invest in transparent buckets

1

u/equality-_-7-2521 Feb 26 '25

"Bruh just poor the rest of the water up my nose."

Waterboarding: not an effective means of getting an elephant to spill.

1

u/BalmainTigers Feb 26 '25

Those tusks are magnificent

1

u/upstatedreaming3816 Feb 26 '25

Mmmmm booger water

1

u/Kimono-Ash-Armor Feb 26 '25

Mmmm booger water

1

u/Throwaway999222111 Feb 26 '25

Imagine slurping up water using your nose straw and then splooshing it into your mouth.

Yum booger water

1

u/Fun-Project-4095 Feb 26 '25

Those buckets are like Dixie cups to that elephant.

1

u/duwh2040 Feb 26 '25

Just know that shi slaps

1

u/Vexmythoclastt Feb 26 '25

They really are some of the most beautiful creatures on this planet.

1

u/poiuy43 Feb 26 '25

I wonder if elephants ever suck too far and suck up a bunch of water into their sinuses

1

u/am121b Feb 26 '25

He’s drinking his own booger juice tho

1

u/Chiinoe Feb 26 '25

Elephants are so cool. Such unreal animals. Just look at them!

1

u/kickinwood Feb 26 '25

That guy could hoover some schneef.

1

u/Loco-Motivated Feb 26 '25

Bro's chill.

1

u/srvvmia Feb 26 '25

Such a magnificent creature.

1

u/Gnarlodious Feb 26 '25

My nostrils during allergy season.

1

u/Responsible_Rip_4509 Feb 26 '25

Man, trunks are weird if you think about it

1

u/ssp25 Feb 26 '25

That's your big boy... The full size

1

u/Mossylilman Feb 26 '25

What’s the collar on the elephant for? You can see it when he wags his ears forward early in the video

1

u/Murquel Feb 26 '25

I drink 1L of beer in seconds

1

u/JacksonBuck888 Feb 26 '25

What is the intended purpose of that fence

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1

u/cuplosis Feb 26 '25

Actually the coolest animals

1

u/appletinicyclone Feb 26 '25

God that background is so beautiful, is that near cape town?

1

u/BrentTheShaman Feb 26 '25

Chin wipe at the end. Adorable. 🫠🥹

1

u/United_Ring_2622 Feb 26 '25

Dude looks nice and old. Good care

1

u/Longjumping_Bench656 Feb 26 '25

How fast does he pee 60 Liters ?.

1

u/BAGP0I Feb 26 '25

I just think it's crazy that this thing can blow its nose and swallow at the same time.

1

u/GrimGrittles Feb 26 '25

Can they mouth breath while using there trunk? Curious cause if not it's holding its breach for a decent time.

1

u/physicsking Feb 26 '25

Wait until they see it come out!

Actually there's a couple good elephant videos going around right now. Does someone have the elephant farting video? Please link it below.

Nvm, found it. Enjoy the voyage.

1

u/Sopht_Serve Feb 27 '25

I wonder what it feels like when they suck the water into the trunk? Like does it feel like when us humans get water in our nose or is it more of a normal feeling?

1

u/SpitfireSis Feb 27 '25

She’s amazing

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

Time to use elephants for wild fires!

1

u/wumbologist-2 Feb 27 '25

1 way to clean out the sinuses.

1

u/StunningPlace1684 Feb 27 '25

Imagine everything you drink having been through your nose.

1

u/leeshakoi Feb 27 '25

I always thought they can use their trunk like a straw to drink water. Is it just me?

1

u/sheldoncooper1701 Feb 27 '25

Beautiful and majestic creatures.

1

u/iDestroyedYoMama Feb 27 '25

That’s a huge elephant

1

u/skornd713 Feb 27 '25

That's a beautiful big boy.

1

u/dirkrunfast Feb 27 '25

I can do that but I don’t wanna

1

u/RetroSwamp Feb 27 '25

As a type 1 diabetic, challenge accepted

1

u/dragknight11 Feb 27 '25

He/she looks so magnificent...

1

u/No_Mechanic6737 Feb 27 '25

Yeah, but how much is that in America?

1/4 of a keg, half a keg?

1

u/Ok-Outcome-6151 Feb 27 '25

Give him some cocaine

1

u/insert-name-here-000 Feb 27 '25

Chugging Boogers is all I see. Lol

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

This is what starts the Nursing Home Fight that kicks off the events of Water For Elephants the dude calls bullshit on carrying Water For Elephants because they need so much you have to take the elephant to the water. 

1

u/Dry_Ad5714 Feb 27 '25

He's a thirsty boy

1

u/Radioactive-Ramba25 Feb 27 '25

I don’t think his tusks should cross like that

1

u/GeraltForOverwatch Feb 27 '25

Oh the elephant is magnificent, I do that with cum and I'm a disgusting whore...

1

u/NoCreativeName2016 Feb 27 '25

Do they stick their trunk into their throat when drinking? Not only does it look like a lot of his trunk goes into his mouth, but he also has his mouth wide open while not a drop of water leaks out.

1

u/handyandy314 Feb 27 '25

Can you imagine people came to watch you drink, how self conscious would you get!

1

u/JTBK33 Feb 27 '25

Good thing that fence is there to protect them.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

True hydrohomie!

1

u/Current-Lobster-5063 Feb 27 '25

That animal is majestic af

1

u/ImprovingKodiak Feb 27 '25

I’m suddenly very thirsty for cold, clean water.🤔

1

u/Ciubowski Feb 27 '25

Wait, so it sucks the water and then sprays it inside it's mouth?

1

u/lurkingupdoot Feb 27 '25

elephants are such amazing animals. King of the plains.

1

u/redactedname87 Feb 27 '25

So like would this be the equivalent of using a netipot and then drinking the water?

1

u/Majin_Bjebus0115 Feb 27 '25

Magnificent ahh veiny ahh luxurious elephant dih

1

u/Maydaybosseie Feb 27 '25

What a cute way to drink, he's a good baby

1

u/Remarkable-Act1918 Feb 27 '25

The guy who made the title must be an American… No way that’s 60L of water

1

u/felipedomf Feb 27 '25

What a disgusting show for tourists. Either the elephant has been thirsty for a while or he drinks without being thirsty

1

u/huzur_alemi Feb 27 '25

I would eagerly like to touch it

1

u/Fubianipf Feb 27 '25

They look so innocent. Such cute elephants.

1

u/mippitypippity Feb 27 '25

The 7-elevens in that neighborhood offer Elephantine Gulps!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

Hydration and a snack in one. Truly the best animals

1

u/SuchProcedure4547 Feb 27 '25

Can I just ask, what purpose is that fence serving?

1

u/JohnTheHuman_69420 Feb 27 '25

Bro has a built in silly straw...

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

i thought they drank the water through their trunk

1

u/Onironautico Feb 27 '25

A lot of faith in that tiny wood fence.

1

u/AbominableGoMan Feb 27 '25

Elephants make me ashamed to not be vegan.

1

u/overbyte Feb 27 '25

My guy needs a place to wear those puppies down

1

u/jimmykahlon Feb 27 '25

It’s like drinking 2 glasses of water

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

" all this waters got my dang tusks crossed!!!"

1

u/bluecubano Feb 27 '25

I’m trying not to think of it spraying boogers and snot mixed with the water.

Do elephants have boogers and snot? I would think so, right?

1

u/slendertreant13 Feb 27 '25

What a magnificent animal!