According to popular myth, older elephants instinctively leave their group when they reach a certain age, and direct themselves toward a special area, known as the elephant's graveyard. They then die there alone, far from the group.

According to a hypothesis devised by Rupert Sheldrake, this myth is actually half true. The legend arose from the fact that elephant skeletons are, in fact, frequently found in groups near permanent sources of water. Elephants suffering from malnutrition instinctively, says Sheldrake, seek out sources of water in the hopes of improving their conditions. The elephants that do not improve develop increasingly low blood sugar and eventually become comatose and die, still in close proximity to the water (and to the remains of other malnourished elephants).

Today it is used as a metaphor for any place, position, or station in life where one has basically reached the end, i.e. "out to pasture", "end of the line", "last roundup", etc.

See also: cemetery

External links

• The Elephant Debate - Contains information about the elephant graveyard myth.