Just for fun! A recent study of footprint impressions of the African elephant revealed the water-filled imprints can host mayflies, leeches, tadpoles and more.
Source: Scientific American, November 2016.
Researchers at Germany’s University of Koblenz-Landau and other institutions analyzed the contents of 30 footprint pools in Uganda. They found that at least 61 different micro-invertebrate species from nine different orders. The tally suggests that elephant footprints may have a place within the life cycles of several species and within the food web itself.
INSIGHTS: This research may spawn studies about the footprint impressions of wildlife, cattle and horses around water holes and streams.