Elephantine Exaggeration

[deckardcanine]

We’ve all seen gags where elephants are terrified of mice.
This has a real-life basis, but it’s rather imprecise.
Some people think the fear is that a mouse runs up the trunk
Or chews a foot. This isn’t known to happen; I call bunk.
Most elephants in zoos get used to mice around their hay.
The spooked ones prob’ly don’t expect to find mice in the way.
Perhaps the feral elephants are harder to surprise,
But swift, small movements tend to startle mammals any size,
And elephants can smell and hear much better than they see.
They do fear one small animal: the common honeybee.