What Is a Whale Graveyard?

Written by

John P. Rafferty

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

You might have heard of elephant graveyards—that is, the final resting places where, according to legend, old, dying elephants head instinctively after leaving their herds. These sites, filled with the bones of many elephants, have long captured the human imagination. Scientists, however, generally reject the idea that elephants seek out these locations by instinct. Instead, they suggest that concentrations of bones are the result of environmental factors. For example, drought often concentrates elephants around water and...