# Animals capable of killing elephants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 26, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207 "2004-09-26T22:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/1 "2004-09-26T22:40:48Z")
Is there any animal capable of killing/seriously injuring a full-grown elephant? The only candidates I can think of would be an entire pride of lions or possibly a hippo or rhino. (I know that elephants have occasionally killed rhinos; I think it is just conceivable that a rhino might get the the better of an elephant!) Does any one know of instances where elephants have succumbed to other animals besides human hunters with rifles? ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/2 "2004-09-26T23:01:30Z")
Well, there’s the [King Cobra.](http://www.szgdocent.org/cc/c-cking.htm) > [@](#): > > Drop for drop, a King Cobra’s venom is actually less lethal than a Common Cobra’s. However, it injects as much as 6-7ml of venom per bite, enough to kill an elephant, or 20 people. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/3 "2004-09-26T23:10:08Z")
I remember hearing somewhere that the king cobra was the only animal besides humans capable of killing a full-grown elephant, and then only by biting it right on the end of the trunk. I thought it was probably a myth when I heard it, and I still do. I mean, first off, surely there are other venemous snakes, at the very least, that could kill an elephant. There are probably even other venemous snakes that live in areas where elephants live that could do it. (By which I mean, I’m sure an olive sea snake could do the job, but the two species probably don’t run across each other very often. So maybe the above myth means that the king cobra is the only snake that could kill an elephant unless you deliberately imported some exotic snake.) Second off, how often would a snake get a chance to bite an elephant on the end of the nose before the elephant could stomp it to death? And how would they determine that the tip of the trunk is the _only_ viable spot for snake envenomation? Anyway … so I have no idea if the above is true or not, but it seems doubtful for a variety of reasons. And as for animals being able to kill an elephant with muscles and sharp objects rather than by chemical means, I’m not sure, but that also seems doubtful. Maybe a shark or an orca could take out a swimming elephant … but then he would have to worry about those darn olive sea snakes as well. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![W.Fikere\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@W.Fikere\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/W.Fikere_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/4 "2004-09-26T23:47:23Z")
Do elephants get worms? Those are animals, and they might be capable of killing the elephant slowly. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/5 "2004-09-26T23:59:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Second off, how often would a snake get a chance to bite an elephant on the end of the nose before the elephant could stomp it to death? And how would they determine that the tip of the trunk is the _only_ viable spot for snake envenomation? Makes sense to me. The inside of the trunk’d probably be the only place a snake could penetrate. Mucousal layers(do elephants have mucosal layers on the inside?" are generally pretty thin. An elephants normal skin is not. I also don’t think any snake’d be getting up to an elephants eyes anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/6 "2004-09-27T00:00:33Z")
What condition is the elephant in? Stake an elephant out in the path of army ants, and it is toast. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/7 "2004-09-27T00:08:03Z")
You said “humans without rifles” in your OP and, if I remember correctly, we’ve been killing them, off and on, for millennia, well before gunpowder was discovered in China. For anyone else reading, could a hippo do it? I’ve read that they’re actually the most dangerous animal in Africa so I’d expect them to have a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/8 "2004-09-27T00:14:24Z")
**Boyo Jim.** I like the way you think. My vote goes to pirahna. There’s the logistics of getting an African or Asian elephant into South America to meet up with the hungry buggers, but if they can skeletonize cows for a light snack, an elephant should be the equivalent of Thanksgiving dinner. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/9 "2004-09-27T00:17:34Z")
Do elephants get worms? Good question! Now I have to ask more specifically, do elephants get lymphatic filariasis, and what would they call it? What would it look like? ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/10 "2004-09-27T00:29:33Z")
A full grown King Cobra at 18’ in length can “stand” up to 6 or 7 feet tall. It can thrust itself forward to strike a dozen feet or more. Its fangs are strong enough and sharp enough to piece a tough piece of leather and it’s venom is capable of killing a full grown bull elephant…but it’d take several hours to do so. By then that elephant would more than likely stomp that snake into jello. Where would the snake bite the elephant. On the two biggest targets in the world, the skin is thin and full of blood vessels. They flop around on both sides of its head and hang damn near to the ground. The creature might get bitten before he even knows the snake is near. I guess it’s a good thing they don’t naturally coexist. The hide on an elephant is pretty damned tough. Not too many things gonna make much of an impression, at least not on a big bull. A big rhino and an average sized elephant would be a hell of a fight. The fact remains that there are NO predators in hunt of elephants except for man of course. New movie…predator vs. alien vs. elephant (no weapons) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/11 "2004-09-27T00:32:15Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > …For anyone else reading, could a hippo do it?.. I misread this to be a question about whether a **hippie** could do it. Hippie: Get away from those bales of pot, Dumbo, or I’ll brain you with my hackie sack! ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/12 "2004-09-27T00:37:07Z")
I vote for a blue whale dropped from a thousand feet directly above the elephant. Or is that not the sort of thing you had in mind? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/13 "2004-09-27T00:37:21Z")
[Herpes](http://www.upali.ch/herpes_en.html) ---
**Author:** ![W.Fikere\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@W.Fikere\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/W.Fikere_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/14 "2004-09-27T00:38:11Z")
> [@t-keela](#): > > I guess it’s a good thing they don’t naturally coexist. King cobras do coexist with Asian elephants. But they have smaller ears. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/15 "2004-09-27T00:38:42Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > … > For anyone else reading, could a hippo do it? I’ve read that they’re actually the most dangerous animal in Africa so I’d expect them to have a chance. That statement is based on the number of fatalities per year from hippo attacks, and part of the reason is that they are relatively common (compared to, say, rhinos) and inhabit areas which bring them into contact with people (they hang out in rivers, which people like to make use of, too). They are also ill-tempered and dangerous, but the statistic doesn’t neccesarily make them the baddest-assed animal in the jungle. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/16 "2004-09-27T00:39:32Z")
King cobras would have to have smaller ears than elephants. I mean, elephant ears are huge. ---
**Author:** ![W.Fikere\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@W.Fikere\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/W.Fikere_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/17 "2004-09-27T00:41:32Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Herpes](http://www.upali.ch/herpes_en.html) Not an animal. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/18 "2004-09-27T00:45:05Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > That statement is based on the number of fatalities per year from hippo attacks, and part of the reason is that they are relatively common (compared to, say, rhinos) and inhabit areas which bring them into contact with people (they hang out in rivers, which people like to make use of, too). They are also ill-tempered and dangerous, but the statistic doesn’t neccesarily make them the baddest-assed animal in the jungle. Well, no… by definition, there can’t be a jungle in a savanna. 🙂 Point taken though. I completely forgot that that was based on human deaths per year. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/19 "2004-09-27T00:48:04Z")
> [@W. Fikere Tomba](#): > > King cobras do coexist with Asian elephants. But they have smaller ears. 😃 a snake with ears? ears that big…damn what a snake it’d have to be. Kinda like that freak in the movie anaconda. Speaking of which…what’s the biggest anaconda and could it choke an elephant to death? and for the record…the part about their not coexisting was from a cite but now I can’t seem to locate it. It also included a supposed actual account of an elephant that died from a snake bite. My damned PC froze up on me though (fffing spyware crap) and so…I just retold it from memory. Now, **WTF** I really don’t think elephants and anacondas co-exist but God knows I’ve been wrong before. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207/20 "2004-09-27T00:53:32Z")
What about the Cape Buffalo? Supposedly, some big game hunters consider this to be “the most dangerous game”. At least they are both found in Africa and could meet up with one another. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animals-capable-of-killing-elephants/266207.md?page=2)