id: 4264974
It was early morning and already two sub adult elephants were mock fighting, after a good amount of eating and playing with their herd in the river water. They were probably brothers from an extended family, both with tusks. And a Myna bird is standing as the referee with focused eyes to ensure that all rules are being followed in this friendly bout. That is how I inferred this amazing scene at the Corbett Tiger Reserve in India. A couple of Mynas were busy picking up food from the heaps of fresh dungs left by the herd. When these two elephants started pushing and nudging each other, one Myna left but this one stood still very near to the big boys and kept watching for a long time. This is an amazing behaviour of the Myna. Young elephant males often engage in mock fighting, foreshadowing the more serious and violent interactions among adult males. When the younger ones meet, they spar in order to assess each other’s weight and strength. Myna birds have a symbiotic relationship with animals who are much bigger in size, like the Indian Rhinos and the Indian Elephants. Mynas nibble elephant dung for dung beetles and other insects. They also collect and carry small balls of elephant dungs to make their nests.
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