ttps:////»https://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd»>
If we compare it with humans, the elephant’s trunk corresponds to our nose and upper lip. She also has extensions that work as auxiliary fingers, serving to pick up objects on the floor. This is true both for the African elephant, Loxodonta africana, and for the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus. The trunk is a long, flexible tube, similar to a hose, which is used for breathing, drinking, picking up things and has an important social function: it is used by the animal to smell and caress other members of the group. Elephants still use their trunks to throw sand or dirt on their backs, chasing away flies and other insects that land on them. Another curiosity about the big nose is that, when they are young, elephants do not know very well how to handle it. Therefore, it is common for baby elephants to accidentally step on their own trunk. Afterwards, they cry without knowing where the pain comes from. Scientists know little about the elephant’s ancestors, but believe that, around 30 million years ago, the great-grandparents of the two current species lived in the aquatic environment and used their trunks as a snorkel, that little tube through which divers breathe. This function remains until today, when the animals need to cross flooded regions. Today, one of the elephant’s closest relatives is the manatee (Trichechus inunguis), a mammal that, despite lacking a trunk, has a rather odd tapered snout.
HEAVY ARMAMENT
When an elephant feels in danger, it raises its trunk to sniff out where the threat is coming from. The organ is also used to attack opponents. If you see an elephant banging its trunk on the ground, move away, as this gesture indicates that the animal is in a state of rage.
PRECISE Tweezers
Devoid of bones and formed by more than 40,000 muscles, the organ weighs about 140 kilos and measures 2 meters. With it, the animal can pick up anything from rice grains that have fallen in the grass to tree trunks weighing up to 600 kg.
WATER WITH BOOTS
The elephant does not drink water directly through the trunk. It works like a suction hose, which serves to suck up the liquid and then squirt it into the mouth. The trunk of an adult animal can store the equivalent of six liters of water!
FINGER IN THE NOSE
The tip of the Asian elephant’s trunk has a finger-like extension (in the picture), while the African’s has two. These little fingers are used to grab small objects on the ground or in trees, such as sticks and fruit.