In 218 BCE, Hannibal crossed the Alps with 37 war elephants, 7,000 horses and 40,000 men. 2,244 years later, models show the elephants may have lost just 4% of their fat reserves on the most efficient route

More than 2,000 years after Hannibal led his army across the Alps, researchers have used modern route and energy models to estimate how demanding the journey may have been for the people and animals who made it.

The Carthaginian general crossed the mountains in 218 BCE with about 40,000 men, 7,000 horses, and 37 war elephants during the Second Punic War. The exact route remains uncertain, but a new study suggests the Col de la Traversette was the most energy-efficient option among the routes examined, as per a report.