Bite-off-Dirt

An elephant biting off and discarding roots embedded in soil that have, inadvertently, been pulled up in a trunkful of vegetation. To avoid ingesting soil the elephant places a trunkful of vegetation in his or her mouth and bites down, allowing the dirt to drop to the ground or back into the water. This behavior is typical of elephants grazing on water plants such as water-lilies, reeds or papyrus.

References: Poole & Granli 2021. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Foraging & Comfort Technique