STS News
Scientists Discover Reason Why Elephants Have Round Feet
From the desk of Rippin Rory Rachar Your Rovin Reporter formerly of Reuters and many others. July 27 2009
The big question that has baffled the scientific community and biologists for years has finally been solved very accidentally.
Biologist Tracey Ibeen-Drincan and animal behavioral expert Duncan Doeknots has spent the last fifteen years studying elephant herds to determine why they are so ill tempered toward other species.
Over the years they have witnessed thousands of violent attacks for no apparent reason against other animals, birds and even humans. They themselves were run off numerous times by different herds.
Tracey describes one of the attacks they witnessed.
“First one elephant started to trumpet, his long gray trunk lifted high in the dry hot air, shaking furiously, the end curled up looking much like a fist. Others joined in, their small eyes filled with anger, their slit like mouths turned down at the corners and suddenly these massive creatures ran screaming at a pack of hyaenas all the time shaking their trunks in the air.
They ran through the terrified group of once happy, laughing dogs, grabbing each one up and bonking them on their heads, sometimes even trampling them to jam on the ground under their large heavy feet. No provocation was observed before this.”
This behavior was observed in all the herds they studied, all that is except for one. This herd they found in the swamps of Nairobi. Their behavior completely different from all the others they observed over the years. At first Duncan didn’t know what to think about this.
He said ,”At first I didn’t know what to think about this.”
This herd would go out, welcome other animals to join in with them. They would coo like doves and gently stroke these other species and bring them to their sanctuary in the inviting shade of the trees by the clear cool waters of the swamp. Tracey and Duncan were no exceptions.
Duncan talked quietly, affectionately almost awestruck of the encounter. “One great mammoth strode gently toward us, her gray trunk extended as if in a hand shake. The warmth in her eyes, unlike the anger observed before in others, and the seemingly smile of her lips brought a sense of calm to us.
After this introduction and cooing affectionately, she wrapped her truck around both of us and tenderly pulled us along to the edge of the swamp. Once there she made gestures to the roundness of her feet by lifting one gigantic foot and tracing a circular pattern around her foot with her great gray trunk, a part of it extending like a finger. It was there we made the biggest scientific discovery of this century.”
What Tracey and Duncan saw amazed them. With all the animals gathered around to watch, each member of the herd walked on the lily pads stretching across the swamp. Each round foot of these huge creatures placed delicately and fit exactly on the dark green tops of the lily pads, ripples playing from around each edge and reflecting the light from the sun in shimmering breath taking flashes. The flashes in turn sent light reeling in dashes and dots striking their great gray sides and dancing amongst the tree branches.
Their huge gray feet were made for the lily pads. The huge expanse of the diameters of each foot spread the massive elephants weight evenly across the round flat tops of each pad.
When the other herds were brought to this swamp and learned to walk the lily pads they too became very hospitable and welcoming. It brought a soothing to the tormented souls of individuals in these other herds.
Duncan ,who is not at all religious, said,” It is as if GOD made their feet round deliberately for this very thing. Even the other animals were amazed at the change.
Occasionally though, one would miss and fall in but that is because , as we all know, elephants are very near sighted. Which answered the next biggest question of why are hippopotamus foreheads so flat?
The answer is now very plain. Nearsighted elephants walking on lily pads.”
STS news, STUN TAR SMIRROR News a division of the Unbelievable News Group
Copyright ©Terry Rachar 2009
