![]() ![]() ![]() See also Dogs Hate Squirrels for the similar interactions between rodents and larger mammals. War Elephants may or may not be affected, depending on the situation in question more serious works are unlikely to even bring this trope up, but more comedic ones may very well feature the strategic use of mice to send herds of armored war elephants stampeding away. In cases where the mouse or rat can actually harm the elephant, this will likely overlap with David Versus Goliath (usually Resourceful Rodent and Cruel Elephant, or Honorable Elephant and You Dirty Rat!). See also Absurd Phobia and Animal Jingoism. This tends to be Played for Laughs if both the mice and elephants are decent animals meeting each other. It's also very commonly exploited, with non-elephant characters producing mice in order to scare off or distract antagonistic elephants. This trope is often parodied, explicitly mocking the tough, powerful creature's senseless fear of something so tiny. However, if they could see the other presence clearly, they likely won't get startled. Thus, if they feel another creature moving around between their legs, they tend to panic out of an abundance of caution, in case the "mouse" is actually a more dangerous threat, such as a poisonous snake. Elephants are not extremely agile animals, and are not flexible enough to see what's going between their feet with their poor vision and herbivore-oriented eyes (since they don't need to chase prey, their eyes are on the sides of their heads so they have a better chance of spotting predators) they may be aware of another presence in the area but struggle to keep track of what's actually there, how it's moving or what it is doing. There is, however, some real-life basis for this trope. ![]() This also tends to be treated as something comical and absurd, as the elephants' phobia is seen as ridiculous and senseless (though that's probably a bit hypocritical coming from humans who fears all sorts of much smaller animals, including bugs). This often takes the form of elephant characters sharing a chronic phobia of small rodents, flying into panic at the mere sight of them. It is a common belief that elephants, the largest land-dwelling mammals on Earth, are terrified of mice, some of the very smallest. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |