Elephant Trunks – Amazing and Surprising Tools
The elephant’s trunk is an extension of the upper lip and nose. It functions for grasping, breathing, feeding, dusting, smelling, drinking, lifting, sound production/communication, defense/protection, and sensing. Elephants essentially use their trunks as a multi-functional tool to breathe, drink, eat, smell, communicate, and even as a weapon when required. While a trunk appears truly vital to an elephant’s survival, they can survive with just part of a trunk (with apparent difficulty). Essentially, the trunk is a muscular, flexible extension of the mammal’s fused upper lip and nose. Nobody knows exactly how many for sure, but this remarkable 100kg+ appendage contains around 40,000 tightly packed muscles. This phenomenal muscle mass gives the trunk its extreme strength – capable of flexing in literally any direction and lifting over a tonne.
If you compare the number of muscles in a trunk to the roughly 700 that we have in our entire body, you can start to appreciate the trunk’s complexity. Remarkably, looking at the skeleton of an elephant, there are no bones whatsoever that would suggest the trunks existence.
The trunk contains an estimated 100,000 muscles and tendons in the trunk, giving it extreme flexibility and strength. Elephant trunks are capable of expanding, contracting, and moving in a diverse array of directions.
Asian elephants have one finger-like projection at the tip of the trunk and African elephants have two. These finger-like projections have many sensitive nerve endings and are capable of fine motor skills, such as grasping small and delicate objects.
An adult Asian elephant can hold up to 8.5 L (2.2 gal.) of water in its trunk. Water is sprayed into the mouth for drinking and onto the back to keep cool.
Elephants’ trunks and keen sense of smell are used to survey the environment. The trunk is raised and waived in the air to gather scent particles. Through the trunk, the scent particles are then carried to a specialized gland called the Jacobson’s organ, located in the roof of the mouth. The Jacobson’s organ is able to gather information about the elephant’s surroundings by detecting and analyzing molecules and particles from the air. Through this process, elephants are capable of locating water sources up to 19.2 km (12 mi.) away and can even determine the reproductive status of distant elephants.
Elephants can reach vegetation as high as 5.7 m (19 ft.) by rearing up onto their hind legs and extending their trunk.
Small sensory hairs extend the length of the elephant’s trunk enhance its sensitivity. These small hairs facilitate tactile communication during courtship and when caring for young.
Elephant trunks are very powerful-capable of uprooting an entire tree trunk, tearing down heavy branches, and delivering a forceful blow in self-defense.
Of all the extraordinary features that the elephant displays, perhaps the most unique and astonishing is the most incredible feat of evolutionary engineering – the trunk. A nose, an arm, a hand, a voice, a straw, a hose and much more. The elephant’s trunk is surely the most versatile and useful appendage on the planet!
What is the trunk and how does it work?
The trunk is the fusion of an elephant’s upper lip and nose and was formed over millions of years of evolution. It is a long, prehensile tube with two nostrils running down the centre and a mass of flesh, muscle, fat, nerves blood and connective tissue that can weigh up to 140kgs.
The key to the trunk’s success is an extraordinary network of muscles which are divided into external and internal. There are four big external muscles, covering the top and side of the trunk, another along running along the bottom and a pair that sit on either side of the trunk’s base. These control the trunks big movements – up, down and side to side. The internal muscles are found in a highly complex network known as fascicles. An entire trunk can contain up to 150,000 fascicles as evidenced by Hezy Shoshani and his team at The Elephant Research Foundation who dissected and painstakingly counted 148,198 of the tiny fascicles on an Asian elephant’s trunk. The fasciles are arranged along the entire length of the trunk like spokes on a bicycle wheel. By working together with the external muscles, they give the trunk the extraordinary flexibility we witness when watching elephants.
The Tip
The trunk tip is one of the key differences between African and Asian elephants. The African elephant has two fingers while the Asian has only one. This affects the way they use their trunks; while the African will actually grasp an object with between its fingers, the Asian will use more of a scooping movement and hold objects against the underside of the trunk. This does not appear to limit the Asian elephant’s ability to manipulate objects.
The trunk tip is packed with nerve endings and according to research by Rasmussen and Munger in 1996, is the most sensitive tissue ever studied!
Dexterity and Sense of Touch
All elephants display great dexterity with the trunk, although it takes baby elephants a number of years to become truly expert in their use. It is amusing to see the antics of newly born calves as they try to get used to the limb dangling in front of them. Often they get in a real muddle and become extremely frustrated.
Once mastered though, the trunk has no equal in the animal kingdom for dexterity, manoeuverability and strength. This allows it to perform the even the most delicate functions which range from the ability to pick up a small coin from a flat surface to lifting weights in excess of 250kg.
The trunk also allows elephants to reach up, down and into difficult spots that they cannot see which is of particular importance as elephants, unlike other browsing and grazing animals, do not use their teeth to directly feed. Instead an elephant will use the trunk’s strength and flexibility to rip grass from the ground or fodder from a tree and then place it in its mouth. Trunks also allow an elephant to to be selective about what they have gathered – for example, it is common for an elephant to use its trunk to shuck corn before eating the succulent cobs after disposing of its fibrous wrapping!
An Elephant’s Sense of Smell
Given that they have the largest nose in the world, it is perhaps not surprising that elephants are thought to have the best sense of smell of all animals. The sense of smell is probably the most important of their senses. If you observe elephants for any length of time, you will notice that the tip of their trunks are constantly moving, testing the smells in the air in every direction as we might perhaps use our eyes.
Monitored wild elephants have shown that they are able to pick up smells over distances of several miles, giving them a useful early warning system of approaching danger. Elephants also commonly smell each other and each other’s body secretions to obtain valuable chemical knowledge about their companions.
When something more than smell is required, elephants use the trunk tip as a chemical receptor – allowing them to obtain information about other elephants. They gather chemical information by touching the trunk tip against a substance, commonly urine, faeces or temporal glad secretions. The trunk tip is then pressed against the roof of the mouth to the vomeronasal or Jacobson’s organ where the chemical is analysed for the information it possesses. This is known as the Flehmen Response.
Relationship with Water
Contrary to what is often believed, the elephant does not use its trunk to drink through. It does however play an important role in the act of drinking. The elephant uses the trunk to draw water and then sprays it into the mouth. A typical trunk can hold around four litres of water, although studies have shown that the trunk of a big bull can hold up to 10 litres!
The ability to spray water is also an important part of basic hygiene and health care. Elephants use the trunk as a shower with various pressure settings. It can either send a power blast jet of water or offer a more gentle alternative!
Elephants also use the trunk to transfer a layer of dust or mud to their bodies which protects them from insect bites or the ravages of a hot sun. When elephants are very hot and water is not readily available, they will often put their trunks in their mouths, obtain large amounts of saliva and spray it on their bodies. It is not advisable to stand beside or behind and elephant when they are engaged in this activity!
Social Interaction
The trunk is an essential tool for social behaviour and virtually all close elephant interaction involves the trunk. They use them to touch, stroke, explore, caress and embrace. A mother will wrap her trunk protectively around her baby, close family members and friends will put the tips of their trunks in each others mouths, juveniles will play by trying to wrap up their friend’s trunk in theirs and potential mates will touch and feel the more private areas of the object of their affection.
The trunk is also used in more confrontational situations both aggressive and defensive. It is used to chastise, discipline or control. An elephant will often wave its trunk or hold it in the air as a warning of aggressive intent. However when confronted by an elephant, the real danger sign is when he rolls the trunk up and tucks it under his chin. This signals that an elephant is preparing to charge.
Vocalisation and Sound
Although it is not the only way they communicate acoustically, elephants can use their trunks to produce a range of sounds. They do this by modifying the size of their nostrils once air has passed over their larynx. Trunk-produced sounds can range from a low snort to high pitched squeaks of excitement or a deafening full blown trumpet.
Although not a vocalisation, elephants also use the trunk to produce a particular warning sound, rapping their trunks on the ground to produce a resonating rumble. This is often used by mothers when they are concerned by threats to their young.
Vital for Life
The reason a charging elephant tucks his trunk out of harm’s way is to protect it from damage. A functioning trunk is absolutely vital for an elephant’s survival. It is a remarkable organ and just one of the reasons that elephants are such exceptional animals.
OTHER VITAL ORGAN PHYSIOLOGY OF ELEPHANT
Ears
Elephant ears are about one-sixth the size of its entire body and primarily function as a cooling mechanism. The ears contain extensive networks of tiny blood vessels, which are visible at the outer margins, where the skin is only about one to two mm (0.04 – 0.08 in.) thick. The warm blood cools as it circulates through the vessels in the ear, due to the thin layer of skin that separates it from the outside air. The cooler blood then circulates back into the body, helping reduce the overall body temperature of the elephant.
The size of elephant ears is proportionate to its geographic distribution. The closer to the equator the elephant resides, the larger the ears, allowing more heat to dissipate (remove) from the body, and therefore has larger ears. African elephants live closest to the equator and have the largest ears, followed by the Asian elephants. The now extinct woolly mammoth, lived near the North Pole, and had the smallest ears.
Elephants use their ears to funnel in sound waves from the environment, contributing to their keen sense of hearing.
Dentition
Both African and Asian elephants have a total of 26 teeth including two upper incisors (tusks), 12 premolars (non-permanent teeth similar to baby teeth), and 12 molars. Asian elephants have smaller tusks than those of African elephants and females have smaller tusks than males.
Each adult male tusk weighs between 50 and 79 kg (110 – 175 lb.) and an adult female’s tusk weighs between 18 and 20 kg (40 – 44 lb.). One of the heaviest tusks ever weighed was more than 100 kg (220 lb.).
African elephants have diamond-shaped ridges on their molars, whereas Asian elephants have long cylindrical ridges on theirs. The ridges help elephants grind course vegetation.
Most mammals replace cheek teeth (premolars and molars) in a vertical manner. The new tooth develops and replaces the old one, from above in the upper jaw and from below in the lower jaw. In elephants, the replacement of the cheek teeth is a horizontal process. New teeth develop at the back of the mouth and progress forward until worn out at the front.
Each molar tooth is about the size of a brick and weighs between 1.8 and 2.0 kg (4-4.5 lb.). Elephant molar teeth are replaced six times during its lifetime.
Elephants are born with temporary incisors (tusks) that are replaced with permanent ones between six and 13 months of age. Permanent tusks grow continuously at a rate of about 17 cm (6.7 in.) per year, reaching lengths of up to 3.5 m (7.7 ft.) for adult African male elephants.
The upper one-third of an elephant’s tusk, where it is embedded in the bone of the upper jaw, is mostly hollow and carries a single nerve. The top third embedded portion of the tusk functions as an anchor when digging and uprooting vegetation and aids defense.
Elephant ivory is distinguished from other animal dentition by its unique cross section patterning. An elephant tusk cross section shows diamond-shaped striations, called “engine turning” and is unique to elephants.
Similar to humans, elephants may be “left or right-handed,” meaning there is a preference to use one tusk over the other. As a result, one tusk may be more worn than the other.
Musth Gland/Temporal Gland
Asian and African elephants have a musth gland located just beneath the skin’s surface, halfway between the eye and ear on each side of their head.
The musth gland may be associated with sexual activity and/or communication.
Annually, musth glands secrete a dark, oily, musky substance and become inflamed. This physiological change is associated with a behavior observed in male elephants called musth.
Foot
The skeleton of an elephant’s foot is angled, with a large pad of fat and connective tissue at the heel. The angled foot structure means that elephants walk on their tiptoes with their body weight evenly distributed across the fatty/connective tissue at the heel. Ex: An adult male Asian elephant that is 2.88 m (9.5 ft.) in height and weighs about 4,167 kg (9,259 lb.) distributes just 3.8 kg (8.5 lb.) of weight per square inch on its heels.
The elephant’s unique foot structure enables secure movement over uneven terrain and swampy ground.
Skin
Elephant skin is wrinkled in appearance, with African elephants more wrinkled than Asian elephants. Wrinkles act as a cooling mechanism by increasing the skin’s surface area. The additional skin and wrinkles trap moisture, which then takes longer to evaporate. Therefore, wrinkles keep elephants cooler, for longer, than if they had smooth skin.
Asian elephants are less wrinkled in appearance than African elephants because they primarily inhabit forested habitats. Temperatures are not as hot in forested areas, thereby reducing the need for forest-dwelling elephants to cool themselves.
Elephant skin can be up to 3.8 cm (1.5 in.) thick in certain places. However, the skin is sensitive to touch, detecting insects and changes in its environment.
The combination of thick skin and a thin layer of fat beneath the skin enable the elephant to tolerate cold temperatures.
Overall skin coloration for elephants is grey. However, Asian elephants have a freckled appearance due to distinct patches of depigmentation, especially on the trunk.
Hair
Elephants have sparse hair distributed unevenly on their body, with the most noticeable concentrations around the eyes, ear openings, chin, and tail.
Young elephants are hairier than adults and their hair is reddish-brown in color. As they mature, the amount of hair is reduced and becomes darker.
Internal Organs
Brain
Elephants have the largest brain of any land mammal, weighing between 4.5 to 5.5 kg (10-12 lb.).Elephants have highly developed cerebrums and cerebellums- portions of the brain involved in movement and muscle coordination.Elephants have large temporal lobes-portions of the brain which facilitate memory.
Elephants have excellent long-term memory and are capable of remembering experiences for long periods of time. Research has shown that elephants are able to recognize other herd members decades after they have last interacted with them.
Heart
The average weight for an elephant heart is about 12 to 21 kg (26.5-46.3 lb.) and comprises about 0.5% of the animal’s total body weight.Elephants have an atypical shaped heart. Most mammals, including humans, have a single-pointed apex at the base (heart-shaped). Elephants have a double-pointed apex at the base, lessening the heart-shaped appearance, and giving it a more circular shape.
Stomach and Intestines
Elephants have a cylindrical-shaped stomach. The stomach primarily functions in food storage. Digestion takes place in the cecum (pouch connected to the large intestine). The combined length of the small and large intestines is about 35 m (100 ft.) in length.
Lungs
Most mammals breathe air by expanding their chest, through muscular action. When the chest is expanded, a membrane (visceral pleura) attached to the lungs remains still while another membrane (parietal pleura) attached to the chest wall expands outward. The fluid-filled space between the two membranes is called the pleural cavity which widens during chest expansion. The widened pleural cavity helps create a vacuum-like effect, allowing air to be pulled into the lungs.
This process differs in elephants because they do not have a pleural cavity. Their lungs are directly attached to the chest wall and therefore rely on direct muscular action to expand the lungs. This direct muscular control enables underwater breathing with the trunk used as a snorkel.
25 Things You Might Not Know About Elephants
- Elephants can be described as either eating machines or manure manufacturers, depending on their activity at the time.
- Elephants may feed for up to 16 hours a day. In the wild one animal can consume as much as 600 pounds of food in a single day, although 250 – 300 pounds is a more typical amount.
- Elephants digest their food with less than 50% efficiency. An elephant defecates from 12 to 15 times a day totaling a daily quantity of 220 – 250 pounds.
- Properly equipped, a car could travel 20 miles on the amount of methane produced by one elephant in a single day.
- Normal daily water consumption is about 25 – 50 gallons per animal, or 100 – 200 liters.
- An elephant’s trunk can hold 2.5 gallons of water.
- It is estimated that about 50,000 Asian elephants survive today.
- Approximately 13,000 of the 50,000 surviving Asian elephants are maintained in human care in Asian elephant range countries.
- Elephants have hair all over their bodies.
- Elephants have eyelashes.
- The African elephant is the largest living land mammal.
- The elephant trunk serves as a nose, a hand, an extra foot, a signaling device and a tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting, digging and much more.
- Only male Asian elephants have large tusks. Female Asian elephants have small tushes that rarely extend beyond their lip line.
- The tusks of elephants grow through their life. Tusks can weigh over 200 pounds each.
- Elephants don’t drink with their trunks as if it were a straw, but instead use them as a glass holding the water then pouring it into their mouths.
- Elephants can swim and they use their trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water.
- Elephants have a slow pulse of 27 pulses per minute while a canary has 1000!
- The elephant is the only mammal that can’t jump.
- The elephant is pregnant for an average of 22 months.
- On average baby elephants weigh 200 – 300 pounds at birth.
- The elephant is the national animal of Thailand.
- An elephant’s tooth can weigh as much as three kilograms.
- The intestines of an elephant may be 19 meters in length, or more than 60 feet long.
- Elephants purr like cats do, as a means of communication.
- Elephants have been known to learn more than 60 commands.
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
