The amazing elephant selfie. But is it a world first?

Forget selfie sticks. If you're looking for a wide-angle shot with a much longer range than any pole can give you, then ask an elephant.

That's what Christian Le Blanc discovered while travelling in Thailand. The 22-year-old from Vancouver, Canada was feeding a friendly elephant in Koh Phangan when the unexpected happened.

"I quickly ran out of bananas and the elephant swiftly reached for my GoPro camera. Luckily it was on a continuous filming setting so the whole thing was captured."

After shooting a bit of video the elephant dropped the camera but only from about a foot high, so it wasn't damaged on being returned to its owner. "OMG this looks like the perfect selfie" was Le Blanc's first thought, and as soon as he could he shared the images on his Instagram and Facebook accounts. The photo has since been liked thousands of times.

An elephant at West Midlands Safari Park, Worcestershire, took a selfie last year. Photo taken from BBC

But the big question is, was it the world's first elephant selfie or "elphie" as it's been dubbed? In a word, no. Last year an elephant took a selfie at a safari park in Worcestershire in the UK after a visitor dropped his phone. It's believed the elephant mistook the phone for food. So the common thread for elphies? A love for a bit of grub!