Is a video of elephant throwing grass on its head real?

Claim:

A video authentically showed an elephant throwing grass on top of its head, making it appear like it was wearing a wig.

Rating:

In late 2025, social media users shared a video purportedly showing an elephant throwing grass on top of its head.

The footage appeared to show the animal — already with some grass on its head — in a forest setting, using its trunk to throw more grass on top, making it look like it was wearing a wig.

For example, on Nov. 24, X user @Yoda4ever posted (archived) the clip with the caption, “Look, what I can do,” along with an elephant emoji and two others.

The video spread widely online, including on Facebook, Instagram (archived), Reddit, Threads (archived), TikTok, X (archived) and YouTube.

In short, the footage was real and was not created using artificial intelligence software or other inauthentic means. The clip originated from a Facebook user who lives in Thailand and is a self-described elephant handler.

The video did not feature any clear signs of AI manipulation, for example no overly smooth or shiny elements. The original video lasted 18 seconds, longer than many of the AI-generated clips circulating online with shorter durations.

Finding the original source

Reverse-image searches using the Google Lens tool uncovered discussion between users debating whether the video depicted an authentic or AI-generated scene. For example, one Reddit post (archived) on the r/isthisAI subreddit was titled: “Reddit seems divided on this one. Not quite sure myself but leaning towards AI.”

That Reddit post, later locked for discussion, featured a conclusion that read:

Source: This comes from a Thai elephant influencer on Facebook. The video was posted on November 18th of this year. He is a 4-year old male elephant in the Surin Province. They have other videos of the same elephant on their Facebook page. The wrinkles on his trunk are consistent between videos (some detail is lost from compression and resolution).

AI tells: In the source video, there are no major AI artifacts or tells. There is no shifting, warping, or morphing of significance. Nothing seems physically impossible from this video. The “nostril” that appears at the 7 second mark is a shadow formed by the curl on his trunk. The video is relatively high quality without being overly vibrant. The video is also 17 seconds long without cuts or transition.

Verdict: Real

Though the Reddit user did not include a link to the Facebook page of the “Thai elephant influencer,” one X user did (archived), adding the following link.

The Facebook account’s name, written in Thai, featured the word “mahout,” a term Merriam-Webster defined as “a keeper and driver of an elephant” and that Cambridge Dictionary said was used in South and Southeast Asia. The page also specified its location as Surin, Thailand.

The video, published Nov. 18, had amassed more than 3 million views as of this writing.

Snopes contacted the Thai-language Facebook user to ask about the video and its popularity. We will update this article if we receive further information.

More videos of elephants with brush on heads

Other videos appearing in reverse-image searches showed glimpses of elephants with leaves, branches and brush on top of the animals’ heads and backs.

One YouTube video specifically depicted an elephant throwing brush on its head.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSNjlnregxE[/embed]

Asian elephants, ‘sunscreen’ and flies

There’s a good reason for Asian elephants throwing debris on their heads and backs — “sunscreen,” as the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute published in 2024:

Asian elephants have hair all over their bodies, though it tends to be short and course, like the treads on a tire. It offers little to no protection from the sun. And they can’t sweat to cool down—the only place they have sweat glands is in between their toes. So, elephants gather “sunscreen”—a mixture of sand, dirt and hay—with their trunk and toss it onto their back to keep cool, prevent sunburn and ward off biting insects.

Young elephants learn this behavior, called “sand-dusting,” by watching older members of their herd. Some elephants apply this sunscreen more diligently than others, says keeper Amanda Bobyack. To encourage our elephants to sand-dust, keepers give them baths with soapy water and exfoliate their skin with a large bristle brush. As they air-dry, their skin becomes itchy, prompting them to re-apply the soothing sunscreen. 

Charae “Ray” Sangkaow, the owner of the “safe haven” elephant organization Following Giants in Thailand, told Snopes by email that “this is normal elephant behavior.” He continued: “Normally it is mud or dirt for sun protection, or repelling insects, but we do see it with leaves and grasses too.”

For further reading, we previously reported about a rumor claiming a video showed an elephant painting a picture of an elephant.