# Are elephants really afraid of mice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-elephants-really-afraid-of-mice/398236 "2007-03-31T20:27:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-elephants-really-afraid-of-mice/398236/1 "2007-03-31T20:27:06Z")
Are elephants really afraid of mice? I’ve heard reference to this many times. Most recently in the Simpsons at Apu’s wedding. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-elephants-really-afraid-of-mice/398236/2 "2007-03-31T20:29:40Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] Are elephants really afraid of mice? I’ve heard reference to this many times. Most recently in the Simpsons at Apu’s wedding. [/QUOTE] Elephants have rather poor eyesight. I think it’s unlikely an elephant could even \*see \* a mouse under normal conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-elephants-really-afraid-of-mice/398236/3 "2007-03-31T20:30:03Z")
No, it’s a myth. See here also: > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-elephants-really-afraid-of-mice/398236/4 "2007-03-31T20:39:14Z")
I don’t think elephants are afraid of anything that doesn’t appear to be a threat to their young. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-elephants-really-afraid-of-mice/398236/5 "2007-04-01T01:40:51Z")
OK, I’ve been aware of this meme for a long time, without putting much credit to it. So now I’m curious about it’s origin, Kipling? Some opera? Bugs Bunny? Anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-elephants-really-afraid-of-mice/398236/6 "2007-04-01T04:31:40Z")
[QUOTE=outlierrn] So now I’m curious about it’s origin, Kipling? Some opera? Bugs Bunny? Anybody know? [/QUOTE] It’s much much older than that. It goes back at least to Pliny the Elder’s _Natural History_ of c. 77 AD. From [here](http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast77.htm) > [@](#): > > They hate mice and will refuse to eat fodder that has been touched by one. Isidore of Seville mentions that they are afraid of mice in his account in the 6th Century AD. The fact that elephants hate mice is also mentioned in one of the first English bestiaries, Topsell’s _Historie of Four-footed Beasts_ (1607).