Elephants at San Diego Zoo form ‘alert circle’ to protect youngest calves during earthquake: video

Horton hears an earthquake!

A herd of elephants at the San Diego Zoo acted on instinct and formed an “alert circle” around their young to protect the calves against the earthquake that rattled Southern California on Monday, amazing video shows.

In addition to their gargantuan ears, elephants have a unique ability to sense sounds through their feet and on Monday morning, the resident herd at the zoo felt the beginnings of the 5.2 magnitude earthquake and sprang into action.

On instinct, the crew of five gentle giants ambled near the center of their enclosure and formed an “alert circle” around the youngest members of the group, footage posted by the San Diego Zoo shows.

The behavior is part of a response against “perceived threats to protect the herd,” the zoo wrote on X.

Soon after the earthquake passed, the circle broke, but the herd remained huddled close together just to be certain the threat had passed, according to the clip.

The quake centered near San Diego around 10:08 a.m. local time and was felt as far away as Los Angeles, according to the US Geological Survey — so the elephants, while spooked, successfully withstood the worst of it.

Across the city, homes wobbled in time with the quake, sending shelves toppling over and breaking glass knickknacks Southern Californians had on display, according to accounts shared online.