The San Diego Zoo Safari Park shared video of an elephant herd forming an “alert circle” when startled by an earthquake.
The video, recorded during a Monday morning earthquake at the zoo, shows adult African elephants Ndlula, Umngani and Khosi, instinctively forming a circle around youngsters Zuli and Mkhaya as the ground shook.
“This behavior is known as an ‘alert circle’ and is intended to protect the young — and the entire herd –from threats,” zoo spokesperson Emily Senninger said.
Senninger explained that elephants can feel sound through their feet.
She said the herd returned to normal behaviors after about 4 minutes, but remained in close proximity for a time after the quake.
