THE myth is that elephants are scared of mice. But, scientists say the jumbo’s biggest tormentors are actually a lot smaller — ants. A team of international researchers found that the nature’s biggest land animal in African Savannah steer clear of trees infested with ants. The scientists believe ants as ‘bodyguards’ for some plants to keep trampling elephants at bay, the Daily Mail reported.

Dr Todd Palmer from the University of Florida, who took part in the research in Kenya, said, "It really is a David and Goliath type of story, where these little ants are up against these huge herbivores, protecting trees and having a major impact on the properties of the ecosystems in which they live.

"Swarming groups of ants that weigh about 5mg each can and do protect trees from animals that are about a billion times more massive.

"It’s yet another example of how the little things run the world." The idea that elephants fear mice has long been a staple of cartoons, and features in the 1941 Disney classic Dumbo.

However, animal behaviourists say there is no evidence of rodent-phobia among any mammal. The new discovery that elephants dislike ants came when Dr Palmer and colleague Dr Jacob Goheen noticed elephants avoiding a species of acacia tree in the Kenyan plains.

The trees are found across the African savannah and are normally devoured and trampled by hungry elephants. However, they stayed away from acacia drepanolobium trees if they were home to guardian ants.

"The elephants avoided those trees like a kid avoids broccoli," Dr Palmer said. "It seems that elephants simply do not like ants swarming up the insides of their trunks, and I can’t say I blame them."An elephant’s trunk is a truly remarkable organ, but also appears to be their Achilles’ heel when it comes to squaring off with an angry ant colony." The findings, the scientists said, suggest that by adding ant colonies to vulnerable plants in Africa could prevent deforestation and protect crops.

"A big issue in east Africa is elephants damaging crops, which is one reason elephants have been harassed and sometimes killed," Dr Palmer added. — PTI

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