What Do Cats and Elephants Have in Common?
City Kitty answers: Did you know that cats and elephants have something in common? Yes indeed - they both purr as a means of communication. Now an elephant's purr is much louder than a kitty's purr. It is so deep, it sounds like a running diesel engine.
When does an elephant purr?
- Fellow elephants who know each other will say "Howdy," with quiet rumbling or purring.
- The Indian elephant purrs while it is feeding.
- An elephant purrs when it's near other elephants, but out of their line of sight. The constant rumble lets the others know that everything is ok. But if threatened, the purring stops, and the sudden quiet serves as a warning to all the nearby elephants. When the danger leaves, the elephant will start to purr again, as an "all clear" signal.
- In the movie "Bangkok Dangerous," Nicholas Cage's character strokes an elephant on its forehead, and its purring can actually be heard. If you activate the subtitles, you will read "elephant purring" during this scene.
How about you? What would make you purr?