A video by Rul Ntemane of 2 elephant bulls play fighting on the 26th of October 2015. Elephant bulls do not have a territory that they defend against other bulls, but share a home range. Play fighting from a young age helps to develop a hierarchy and this stops serious fights from being a regular occurrence. The only time when one will see a rare spectacle like this is when 2 bulls of more or less similar rank meet and when they are in musth. Musth is derived from a Urdu work meaning to be sexually intoxicated. Elephant bulls from 30 years and older go into musth when their testosterone levels increase and they will walk far and wide visiting breeding herds of females in search of mating opportunities.
Post by Robbie Prehn