Scientists are puzzled by a video showing an elephant apparently smoking.

The video was shot in 2016 by scientist Vinay Kumar of the Wildlife Conservation Society early one morning deep inside a forest in the Nagahrole National Park in India but has only been released now because he didn't realise its importance.

The female elephant was captured on camera picking up lumps of smouldering charcoal, left on the forest floor by a controlled fire, with her trunk, putting them in her mouth and then blowing out plumes of smoke as if she was smoking.

Experts have speculated she may have been trying to ingest the charcoal for medicinal purposes or as a laxative.