This is the funny moment an elephant bounces around in a refreshing puddle on a sunny day at the Oregon Zoo.
Footage taken inside the 64-acre zoo in Portland shows 12-year-old Samudra rolling around in the mud to stay cool in the heat.
The male Asian elephant, born at the zoo in 2008, kicked his legs in the air and dropped his head to the ground as staff sprayed him with water.
In the clip shared on the Oregan Zoo’s Facebook page on September 5, the elephant kneels on the ground and sinks his body into a muddy pool.
When the zoo staff sprayed water on him, Samudra lifted his legs and rolled from side to side in the mud.
He then stood up and kicked his legs through the muddy water, splashing anyone near him.
Samudra, whose name means ‘ocean’ in Sanskrit, is known for his love of water and can often be found swimming in a 160,000-gallon pool located in Elephant Land at the zoo.
The mischievous elephant, who lives in the zoo with his sister Lily, was the first third-generation elephant born in the United States.
The Asian elephant, classified as endangered, is the largest land mammal globally and has three subspecies – India, Sumatra, and Sri Lanka.
They are generally smaller than African elephants, and their skin is dark gray to brown in color, with pink patches on the forehead, ears, and base of the trunk.
During the summer months, hairless mammals like elephants and rhinos use mud, clay, and water baths to stay cool and protect themselves from the sun.
In 2018, scientists at Switzerland’s University of Geneva also found that deep wrinkles in elephant skin allowed water to easily and help lower the animal’s body temperature.