Elephants have many admirable qualities: They have an excellent sense of smell, rarely get cancer, and have complex social lives. However, they are not perfect when it comes to jumping. People on the internet also wonder and ask questions like, "Why can't elephants jump?" It's hard to say why, because scientists haven't specifically researched why elephants can't jump. However, some scientists have a few explanations on this matter.
Why Can't Elephants Jump?
John Hutchinson, an evolutionary biomechanics professor at the Royal Veterinary College in London, stated that this is most likely due to the animals' immense weight and relatively weak leg muscles and rather inflexible ankles.
In response to the question of whether elephants can jump, Hutchinson said in an interview, "Animals that jump really need flexible ankles, really strong Achilles tendons, and calf muscles. Elephants have really weak lower leg muscles and they don't have very flexible ankles."
Hutchinson has made studying elephant movement a part of his life. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2010, he and his colleagues wrote that animals typically cover long distances but rarely run and only do so for short distances. This is probably because elephants have poor endurance for running.
Hutchinson also observed that adult and baby elephants never have all four feet off the ground while running. So, when elephants run, they always have at least one foot on the ground. In contrast, some other animals can have their feet off the ground while running. Still, it's probably best that elephants don't try to jump. With their size, attempting to jump and stumbling could result in crippling injuries.
Additionally, it's known that most animals use jumping as an escape route. However, this is not necessary for elephants. For example, smaller and more athletic animals can use speed, agility, and jumping to escape predators. But being large is a defense in itself, so elephants don't need to jump.
These are the views on why elephants can't jump. What do you think about this? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below.