Two Elephants Love to 'Play Mermaids' Together, and Everyone's Saying the Same Thing
A couple of elephants took the opportunity to enjoy playing in the water together!
In an adorable TikTok video posted by the San Diego Zoo, the two elephants took the opportunity to enjoy a dip together. In the video, one of the elephants rolled around in the water, completely submerging itself, while the other stood nearby, enjoying it.
@sandiegozoo And the correct answer is always yes #elephantvalley#sdzsafaripark
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In the text overlay of the video, the zoo joked that the pair liked to "play mermaids" together and added the caption, "And the correct answer is always yes " to the idea of playing in the water together.
People in the comments agreed with the sentiment around playing mermaids in the water, with one user joking, "I call having a pink tail ." Another joined in and added that they would love to have an "underwater tea party" with them.
Others commented on how "beautiful" the elephants looked while they played together, with one other user saying, "Having a built-in snorkel has its advantages ."
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Why elephants love to play in the water
For elephants, their love of water is not just for fun; it's also essential to their survival, especially in hotter climates.
According to the HERD Trust, water for elephants is used for "evaporative cooling, they play in it, wallow in it, bond in it, and swim across it in cases of rivers to get to greener pastures." Despite their massive size, elephants are also natural swimmers and can use their trunks as snorkels.
With their ability to float in water and use their trunks to breathe, elephants can "swim for hours without stopping."
HERD explains that "[An elephant's] massive body helps them to float with ease and rest when they wish, but elephants can also walk along the bottom of the dam or river when it's shallow enough, with their trunks out for breathing."
The organization also notes that an elephant's "lungs are uniquely adapted to deal with the pressure changes caused by snorkeling – or when inhaling large volumes of water into the trunk before drinking or spraying it onto the skin." In the wild, the watering hole serves as an important meeting place for elephants and their herds because it's where they also play, bond, and drink water together.
Related: Baby Elephant Ferociously Stood His Ground Against Safari Tourists
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 5:21 AM.