The Revolution Blog

The Big Number: 48-Ton Mechanical Elephant Huffs, Puffs and Rolls

Wednesday, Aug 28, 2013

This 48-ton hydraulic beast already rolls, but we’d still love to slap our casters on it to put an elephant in our custom gallery. Next time you’re in France, stop by Les Machines de L’lle, a former shipyard turned mechanical zoo/theme park.

Among the attractions, which include robotic squids, turtles and pterodactyls, you’ll find its prize: a 40-foot tall elephant. Towering over visitors while spraying them with water, the mechanical mammal comfortably seats about 50 passengers for a park tour.

Inside, it’s just as impressive. A 450-horsepower motor and nearly 530 gallons of oil power the steel and wooden elephant. An on-board driver manually steers the hulking creature.

Shell out enough Euros, and you can roam around the park atop the world’s largest mechanical elephant, too. No word on the running gear, but a handful of ground support casters should be up for the task.

Watch the beast in action, or learn more on CNN.

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