Skip to content
Main Navigation
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Japan

Upali.ch

Elephant encyclopedia

Main Navigation
  • Elephant encyclopedia
  • Author and Designer of the Elephant encyclopedia

Swimming and diving elephants

By Georges Frei  On 20. November 20166. March 2021 In Allgemein, Keeping Tagged african, asian, breathe, daily routine, diving, elephant, elephant bull, elephant keeper, elephant keepers, elephantbaby, elephants basin, emerge, fitness, freshwater, fun, Georges Frei, joy, Kaeng Krachan elephant park, movie, pleasure, pool, salt water, Self-confidence, skin, snorkel, sport, summer, swimming, training, trunk, under water, water surface, wilderness, zoo, Zurich 2 Comments
Can elephants swim and dive?

Like all mammals (except humans and apes, who have to learn how to swim), elephants are very good, untiring swimmers.
Elephants move all four legs to swim and are able to move quite fast like that. Their big body provides enough floatation while the trunk acts like a snorkel.

tauchende-omysha

Movie from the elephant house in Zoo Zurich

How do Elephants swim?

Elephants mostly swim with their face above and their mouth below the water surface. They breathe through their trunk which they use as a snorkel. Video from the elephant house in Zurich Zoo

Can Elephants swim long distances?

These strong animals can swim long distances without a problem. Experts suppose that elephants once swam from Southern India to Sri Lanka where they settled.

Do Elephants like to swim?

Particularly young elephants love swimming and diving. They “fight” the waves in wild abandon, climb about on the older group members and splash back into the water. They are also untiring divers. When watching the animals in the water, the elephant keepers are always relieved to spot the small elephant’s trunk peeping out of the water again to take another breath.

swimming in the pool

How do Elephants swim?
swimming small Omysha
swimming small Omysha

more movies about elephant swimming

The bathing season is open / Zoo Zurich / Switzerland

  • facebook
  • tweet
  • google+

Related Posts

  • Wanted: Translator English – French
  • Elephants of the zoo Zurich
  • Elephants in the Zoo Basel

Post navigation

Stereotypical behavior in elephants
Teeth, second dentition, Tusks

2 thoughts on “Swimming and diving elephants”

  1. kevan hubbard says:
    6. April 2019 at 19:02

    Yet I read recently that hippos can’t swim and what looks like swimming is a kind of microgravity bouncing bit like astronauts on the Moon,the water creates a pseudo microgravity.elephants are much bigger than hippos so could they be doing that too, although the underwater pictures certainly look like swimming?for elephants to have got from India to Sri Lanka they would need to swim but there is an island chain, Adams bridge,which is the remains of a land bridge.

    Reply
    1. Georges Frei says:
      7. April 2019 at 14:15

      Hello Kevan Hubbard
      You’re right, hippos don’t swim very well. They cross rivers at shallower places where they also have some ground contact.
      Elephants, however, can swim very well. They can cross narrow lakes or deep rivers without contact to the ground. Healthy elephants are persistent and good swimmers who use their trunks as a snorkel.
      Friendly greetings
      Georges Frei

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Comments

  • Haley Rader on Anatomy of the elephants
  • Georges Frei on Musth of the elephant bulls
  • Emily Gray on Musth of the elephant bulls
  • How Much Does a Baby Elephant Weigh? – Exploration Squared on Bigness and weight of the elephants
  • Heather Parsons on Anatomy of the elephants

Recent Posts

  • Wanted: Translator English – French
    April 19, 2019, No Comment

    Wanted: Translator English – French Dear readers of upali.ch It …

  • Elephants of the zoo Zurich
    June 6, 2017, No Comment

    0.1 Ceyla Born 1971 in Sri Lanka Gender: female Since 1976 …

  • Elephants in the Zoo Basel
    June 6, 2017, No Comment

    Born: 1976 in Krüger National Park in South Africa Gender: female Since 1984 …

  • The Elephants of Circus KNIE Switzerland
    June 6, 2017, One Comment

    0.1 Sabu Born: 1984 in Burma Gender: female 01.01.1984 to 01.01.1989 – …

  • Daily Routine for the elephants in zoos and circus
    December 5, 2016, No Comment

    What does a day in the life of a zoo …

Copyright Georges Frei
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Japan