The "confusing behavior" of animals in nature can be described as diverse, some animals have evolved their brains in order to avoid natural enemies, and some animals have done the "old king next door" in order to reproduce.
The sea squirt evolved its own brain
Elephants, who usually look honest and honest, will rape rhinos during estrus, which is jaw-dropping.
It is confusing that elephants and rhinos are different species, so why would African male elephants rape rhinos?
Contraindicated cross-species mating
This statement seems to us to be quite unacceptable, as if humans mate with chimpanzees when they are in heat.
In nature, cross-species mating is taboo because there is an underlying law of survival in nature – reproductive isolation.
Experiments on reproductive isolation of fruit flies
Simply put, different species or the same species that are distantly related cannot mate, otherwise serious consequences will be incurred.
For example, lion tiger beasts are the offspring of lions and tigers mating and reproduction, they cannot give birth, their own immunity is low, they cannot fight diseases, and the body will grow without limit, until the bones can not be supported, dragging themselves alive.
Lion tiger beast and tiger lion beast
With this restriction, species in nature deliberately avoid heterosexual contact with other populations, and their likelihood of mating is reduced.
And the reason why elephants broke the taboo and chose rhinos as mating objects is also a helpless move.
Mating behavior of elephants
Elephants are social animals, usually a dozen or two dozen elephants will gather together to form a simple herd.
In the herd, it is necessary to have at least one female elephant, because the leader of the herd can only be assumed by the female elephant, who is not only responsible for managing the herd, but also leading the people on the migration.
For example, during the dry season, the mother elephant will lead the herd to a wet place to find water.
Once the mother elephant makes a mistake on the way to migration, it may lead the herd to the end.
Harmonious herds of elephants
Therefore, the leadership of the mother elephant determines the rise and fall of the entire elephant herd, but fortunately, the mother elephant's perception is very sharp and rarely leads the wrong way.
In general, the elephant herd is very harmonious and there is basically no possibility of strife.
Once it is time to reproduce and mate, this harmony will be broken, and male elephants will fight each other for limited mating power.
Mother elephants in many herds are scarce "resources", and some even have only one.
Under this premise, whoever has the power to mate first will be able to vent the hormones secreted by the body faster.
A female elephant will only mate with one male elephant a day, and usually after three or five days, she has to rest for a while.
Different species of elephants
Therefore, the male elephants at the end of the line often have to wait half a month or even a month.
But hormones secreted by the body make them extremely irritable, and because there is no outlet, they often vent violently.
Some elephants will look for alternatives to female elephants, although they cannot achieve the goal of reproduction, but they can solve the "urgent need".
At this time, the rhinoceros unfortunately broke into the eyes of the elephant.
Driven by instinct, elephants treat rhinos as female elephants, and do not pay attention to weight when mating, and rhinos are often "overwhelmed" and eventually die.
Between 1990 and 2001, more than 60 rhinos were raped on the African savannah.
A duel between an elephant and a rhinoceros
Among them, the fatality rate is as high as more than half, and the death of rhinos is often miserable and cannot be "blinded".
Do rhinos have room to resist? Not at all, once targeted, basically become a victim.
It must be known that the size of a sexually mature male elephant is about 3 times that of a rhinoceros, and in the face of absolute strength, the rhinoceros is like a "lamb" to be slaughtered.
Shadows in the heart
Of course, the reason elephants rape rhinos is not just estrus, research data shows that by the mid-to-late 20th century, such cases appeared frequently, surpassing previous statistics.
It is closely related to human harm to elephants.
Ivory products are loved by the wealthy and often have expensive prices in the market.
Since there is a market, there must be merchants willing to do it, and there are illegal hunters willing to take risks and go deep into Africa to hunt ivory.
Anatomy of elephant skeletons
Instead of harming the elephant's life, they use narcotics and other related items to incapacitate the elephant and simply split their teeth.
During this period, a chase was inevitable, and all kinds of violence caused serious psychological trauma to the elephants.
You know, elephants are very intelligent animals, their brain stem weight is larger than that of humans, and their brain nerves are three times that of humans.
Elephant and other animal brains
Although not as intelligent as humans, it is superior in some ways and is known as one of the most intelligent animals in nature.
Their IQ is equivalent to that of a toddler of about 4 years old, and they can learn simple human behavior through acquired learning.
Therefore, when people's violent behavior infects elephants, it leaves indelible scars on their psyche.
During their breeding period, this psychological shadow will be transferred to the rhinoceros, and the poor rhino cannot withstand the ravages and eventually dies.
Young elephants in herds, in particular, have been affected even more profoundly after witnessing human violence against adult elephants.
Baby elephants
When you grow up, you will inevitably have violent tendencies.
As a result, rhinos are raped to death, and illegal hunters bear a considerable share of responsibility.
How vicious are illegal hunters when they hunt elephants? In 2013, poachers poisoned rivers directly at the source of a river in Zimbabwe's nature reserves, killing more than 100 elephants and countless wildlife.
They removed the elephant's teeth and decomposed the carcasses in natural areas, causing serious environmental pollution.
You know, this is the local national nature reserve, and their behavior is so rampant, if there are no rules in the African savannah, it is difficult to imagine what they would do.
Around the 70s, elephant hunting began to be widespread, transporting ivory to artists for carving and repair.
Ivory crafts
At that time, the annual weight of ivory traded on the market was about 1.3 million kilograms, and if we calculated the tusk weight of an adult elephant according to 50 kilograms each, about 13,000 elephants were killed by hunters a year.
There are 130,000 elephants in 10 years, and 90% of these elephants come from the African savannah.
You know, the current number of elephants in the African savannah is about 420,000, and according to the methods of hunters, this species will disappear in a few decades.
African elephant
The reason why hunters are so crazy is also related to the expensive market price.
In the beginning, the market price of ivory was around $13 per kilogram, and hunting an elephant earned about 9,100 yuan.
Elephant herds are social lifestyles, there must be more than one hunt at a time, coupled with the large size of elephants, easy to be found by hunters, so hunting efficiency is also very high, hunters and merchants are making a lot of money.
Ivory crafts
The elephant population has declined dramatically due to endless hunting, but there is still a huge gap in the market every year and prices are gradually rising.
In the 80s, ivory prices were as high as $160 per kilogram, and hunting elephants became increasingly profitable.
Many hunters take desperate steps and directly encroach on the authority of the law, and also want to obtain ivory.
Even though international laws make it illegal to sell ivory, ivory is still in circulation on the black market and prices are getting higher.
Customs seized ivory products
There is a harmonious coexistence between humans and animals, and we cannot harm innocent animals for our own benefit.
Only harmonious coexistence with animals is the way to long-term development.