Mmastodon ScienceScience first seen 11 h ago, last 29 min ago, peak #1

Elephants Mine Minerals Deep Inside Mount Elgon's Kitum Cave

Original: 🐘 WATCH: In the pitch-black chambers of # MountElgon 's # Kitum Cave, African # savannah # elephants use their tusks to

African savannah elephants venture into the pitch-black chambers of Kitum Cave on Mount Elgon, using their tusks to scrape volcanic rock rich in sodium, calcium and magnesium. Generations of herds have hollowed out these deep mineral chambers, passing down the unusual mining behaviour over time.

Why now: The striking footage of elephants mining salt inside a dark cave fascinates viewers and highlights rare learned animal behaviour.

Kitum CaveMount ElgonAfrican savannah elephants

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Evidence

• 🐘 WATCH: In the pitch-black chambers of # MountElgon 's # Kitum Cave, African # savannah # elephants use their tusks to scrape volcanic rock for # sodium , # calcium , and # magnesium . Generations of herds have hollowed out these deep mineral chambers, passing down an unusual… · tksst@fediscience.org · 18

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