Any parent can tell you that temper tantrums are a normal, unavoidable part of daily life.
Young children are especially prone to throwing themselves on the floor, pounding their fists, and kicking and screaming until they get their way. Sometimes the reason is as small as not getting the right colored cup for their juice, while other times it’s a desire for attention.
While I did know that temper tantrums are an avoidable aspect of parenting human children, I did not know that the same could be said for other species.
In this delightful video, uploaded to Youtube in September of 2014, an adorable baby elephant takes a temper tantrum as his herd crosses the road.
As the video begins, Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat Song begins playing in the background. The screen then opens to the baby elephant crossing towards the left-hand side of an African road.
As the baby elephant reaches the side of the road, he dejectedly falls over into the long Saharan grass.
I wonder what has gotten the little guy so upset. Maybe mama said he wasn’t allowed to play with his animal buddies, or maybe he’s just tired from all the walking and needs a nap.
As an adult elephant passes by, seemingly not paying much attention to the young one, the baby throws himself back into the road.
After this throw, the little guy spends some time rolling around the path. He kicks his little legs up in the air, glumly tossing his body weight in every direction.
The baby’s kicking continues for approximately 30 seconds as he waits for another adult elephant to cross his path.
Throughout it all, we hear Belafonte singing, “Daylight come and I wanna go home“.
Isn’t this all too relatable?
After the baby’s kicking episode, another adult elephant— who I assume is his mother— makes her way towards the herd crossing.
The mother passes the little one, completely unfazed by his behavior. The baby quickly untangles his limbs, running to catch up with her as the video comes to an end.
This little guy’s temper tantrum has been viewed almost 7.5 million times.
the highlight of my day was the video i watched of a baby elephant throwing a temper tantrum
— meg (@MeghanSimone_xo) February 5, 2017
This is the best thing you’ll see on the Internet today. :Baby Elephant throwing a temper tantrum. #squeehttps://t.co/XiTg3JPCD9
— ?Jennifer ?? (@Sashabella_1) March 18, 2017
According to AnswersVideos, these types of tantrums are common among baby elephants, who are known to take fits by throwing themselves down into mud when upset.
Seems like we may have more in common with animals than we thought!
For more elephant tantrum cuteness, check out this clip of a baby zoo elephant stomping its birthday cake.
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