Food-Stealing

An individual taking food from the mouth or trunk of another elephant. While infants, calves, juveniles or adolescents will attempt to steal food from their mothers, other family members, or other elephants, adult males and females will also steal scarce resources from one another - for instance, stealing branches or branchlets from one another or from a tree pushed over by a musth male.

References: Douglas-Hamilton 1972: ch 6 [Food-Sampling]. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Calf Nourishment & Weaning, Foraging & Comfort Technique