53 Items Tagged

Elephants

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Pinkie the Pink Elephant

Elephant Tusks

Giant aluminum tusks erected over the main thoroughfare to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.

Toronto, Ontario

Elephant House

A student art project turned into a neighborhood fixture in Toronto.

Kirkby, England

Edward’s Elephant

A giant earring-wearing, poker-waving elephant statue stands in a Viking longboat in Kirkby town center.

Samuel Mphepo, Malawi

Elephant Rock

A prodigious pachyderm lurks among Malawi’s inselbergs.

An 1870 painting by Jean-Paul Laurens depicts the infamous "Cadaver Synod," when a papal corpse was put on trial.

conspiracy theories

Atlas Obscura’s Juiciest Pope Drama

Lost body parts, dirty paintings, and an ill-fated elephant.

Andrew Coletti January 30, 2025

Oquawka, Illinois

Norma Jean Circus Elephant Monument

A memorial dedicated to a traveling circus elephant killed by a lightning strike in 1972.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Grave of John King

An elephant is carved onto the gravestone of a man who was crushed by one.

Gifting animals, games, and cakes.

5 Tales of Bizarre Holiday Gift-Giving

From elephants and hippos to fanfiction and sheep-shearing cake—what are you gifting this year?

Roxanne Hoorn December 5, 2024

Futago Park

This park was once home to now-extinct Naumann's elephants, and what might have been a real Banksy.

Xiangliab, Laos

Tham Nang Ene Cave

Mythological depictions of Laos’ national animal make this cave sacred.

This detail from the 12th-century Aberdeen Bestiary shows a dragon wrestling an elephant.

That Time Portugal’s King Gifted an Elephant to the Pope

Hanno the elephant suffered much at the hands of power-hungry Europeans.

Devon Field August 21, 2024

Der Kleine Elefant

This small, easily-overlooked sculpture recalls the first time Graz saw a live elephant.

Royal Leamington Spa, England

The Elephant Wash

This river ramp was once used by the elephants of a local circus.

Bern, Switzerland

Elephant of Murten

The skeleton of a 19th-century elephant that was executed by cannonball.

Hyenas and crocodiles dined on a waterside carcass together, caught via camera trap.

You Never Know Who Will Turn Up at an Elephant Carcass

Researchers in Kenya spied some unexpected guests at these “carrion bonanzas”

Roxanne Hoorn August 16, 2023

To reduce the risk of conflict between humans and elephants, scientists are looking at the situation from the animals' perspective.

To Reduce Conflicts With Humans, Get Inside an Elephant's Head

Understanding how the giant mammals weigh risk and reward could help prevent clashes with people.

Mridula Chari June 5, 2023

Elephant Head Rock, silhouetted.

Gerlach, Nevada

Elephant Head Rock

A remote, little-known natural arch in granite in the desert of northwestern Nevada.