https://www.treehugger.com/extraordinary-facts-about-elephant-trunks-4858665 Elephant seals were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century. Sure, hands evolved from fins, but the hand has evolved to do things no fin could ever do. There are two types of muscles in the trunk: The trunk is connected to the elephant’s head by a bony opening of its skull. An elephant trunk has no bones, a small amount of fat, and close to 40,000 separate muscles (compared to 600 muscles in the entire human body). It is can be up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds. There is no other animal in the world with a comparable appendage, though animals such as the tapir, anteater, and elephant shrew all have variations on a theme. Elephants can communicate with each other over far distances Apart from its size, an elephant’s most striking feature is its trunk. Think of the selfies it could take, no selfie stick required. Unlike boa, head and body of elephant trunk snake square measure equally wide. the elephants trunk. Furthermore, did you know that the African elephants consume up to 136 kilograms of food in a day. 1. 2. At the trunk’s tip, African elephant have two fingers while Asian elephants have one. The elephant’s trunk is fusion of its nose and upper lip. Elephants can smell food and water from up to 19 kilometers away. Elephant Trunk Tusks Ears Kid's Facts & Picture Book (Kid's facts and picture books) (English Edition) Elephant Notebook: Cute Elephant Journal Animal Themed Cutie Elephants Notebook | Blank 6 X 9 Inches 100 Pages Book lined for Girls Boys Kids | Write, Sketch, Doodle and Draw College Design | TIZORAX Lemon Ear Elephant Slip-on Loafer Schuhe für Herren Jungen Mode Canvas Flach … They sound like they're playing the trumpet when they shout and are well-known for being very caring creatures, even though they could crush a car just by sitting on it. So the trunk is indeed the elephant’s nose. Elephant facts. Their trunks permit them to reach heights of up to 23 feet. The trunk is both an upper lip and a nose, with two nostrils running through the whole thing. Females have 2 teats right behind their front legs and baby elephants have been known to nurse (by mouth not by trunk) for up to 6 years! This structure is unique to members of the order Proboscidea, which includes the extinct mastodon s and mammoth s. Anatomically, the trunk is a combination of the upper lip and nose; the nostrils are located at the tip. They use it in a number of delicate ways too, such as wiping its eyes and face, picking leaves and fruits from the branches of a tree up to 7 meters high, and plucking their favorite grasses out of the ground to eat. [8] Elephants can smell water up to 12 miles (19.2 km) away. In this article, we delve into the detail of the elephant’s trunk to discover its, structure, uses, superpowers, and some fun elephant trunk facts. [8] An elephant's trunk can lift over 550 pounds (250 kg) and can detect even the slightest touch. These include a broad range of functions including tasks like breathing, smelling, touching, grasping, and sound production. There are close to 40,000 muscles in an elephant trunk! It has a little amount of fat but is primarily a muscular organ. Uses of the elephant trunk. the elephants trunk The elephants incredible trunk is actually an extended nose and upper lip. Their trunks give elephants a very powerful sense of smell – twice as sensitive as a bloodhound. - Elephant Facts Vote Here for Your Favorite Animal! An elephant’s trunk is formed by the merging of the nose and the upper lip. Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0Imagine how awkward it would be for an elephant to squat down for its mouth to reach water, or how long its neck would have to be to reach leaves? It is so strong that it can push down trees and lift a whopping 700,000 pounds. It helps them to do a variety of things like gripping, drinking, smelling, and showing love. Female elephants travel in groups called herds that range in size from 8 to 100 elephants. The trunk takes care of all of this – and in fact can reach branches 20 feet high. It can suck up to 10 gallons of water a minute and can hold up to two gallons of water at a time! African elephant (left) with two prehensile trunk tips, vs the Asian elephant’s one tip. Due to this, the African elephant is able to pick up objects delicately, while the Asian elephant can only scoop up objects by using its entire trunk. Type: Geologic Formations, Nature & Parks 1) There are three different species of elephant – the African Savannah elephant, the African Forest elephant and the Asian elephant. Elephants are the world's largest land mammal with males on average measuring up to 3m high and weighing up to 6 tonnes. Beautiful natural views merged with valuable cultural landscape make it a fascinating place which makes tourists fascinated and longing for. Before birth, the trunk and upper lip of the elephant fetus are not connected together. Pick Your Fav! Individuals may show lateral preference when grasping with their trunks: some prefer to twist them to the left, others to the right. Elephant Trunk Tusks Ears Kid's Facts & Picture Book (Kid's facts and picture books) (English Edition) Elephant Notebook: Cute Elephant Journal Animal Themed Cutie Elephants Notebook | Blank 6 X 9 Inches 100 Pages Book lined for Girls Boys Kids | Write, Sketch, Doodle and Draw College Design | TIZORAX Lemon Ear Elephant Slip-on Loafer Schuhe für Herren Jungen Mode Canvas Flach … Prehensile means: “Able to take hold of and clasp objects; adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object”. The elephant trunk is truly a wonder of nature. (And for the record, the elephant doesn't drink directly through the trunk, yet uses it so bring water to its mouth.). It can perform multiple tasks from pushing over heavy trees to picking up the smallest twig. They also have an advanced sense of smell called olfaction. Elephant Trunk & Tusk Facts. It’s the same for elephants, but the difference lies in the size and strength of the elephant’s proboscis. African elephants can lift close to 300 kilograms with their trunks. The trunk evolved as an extension of the nose, but calling the elephant’s trunk its “nose” would be a little like calling a human hand a kind of fin. I Broke My Trunk! It is controlled by these muscles, and the proboscis nerve, which helps them move their trunk whichever way they want. An elephant rubs its trunk or holds another elephant’s trunk to show affection. 2) Elephants Imagine having, essentially, a supernaturally strong skin-covered slinky attached to your face ... one that can caress, has fine motor skills, and is so sensitive it can feel distant thunder from vibrations in the ground. Elephants are known for their large ears, tusks made of ivory and their trunks – which are actually a fusion of their nose and upper lip. The 20 best malaria-free safari destinations, The 6 greatest animal migrations in Africa. Let’s start with the absolute basics, by looking at the dictionary definition of the elephant trunk: “The elongated, prehensile nose of an elephant.”. The trunk weighs around 130kg and is capable of lifting about 250kg. In fact, an elephant is able to crack a monkey nutshell with its trunk, without breaking the nuts. Elephant Trunk Tusks Ears Kid's Facts & Picture Book (Kid's facts and picture books) (English Edition) Elephant Notebook: Cute Elephant Journal Animal Themed Cutie Elephants Notebook | Blank 6 X 9 Inches 100 Pages Book lined for Girls Boys Kids | Write, Sketch, Doodle and Draw College Design | TIZORAX Lemon Ear Elephant Slip-on Loafer Schuhe für Herren Jungen Mode Canvas Flach … Follow us for instant access to all of our best safari & wildlife content: differences between an African and Asian Elephant? Elephant trunks can lift up to 770 pounds! The ends of their trunks are also very different – the African elephant trunk has two distinct ‘fingers’ which they use to pick up and manipulate objects. But when you stop to consider this oddest of dangling appendages, one quickly remembers what a curious animal part it is. These snakes live near the coasts of rivers, streams, canals, lagoons and estuaries. They commonly suck up water using their trunk and spray it over their bodies to helps them stay cool in hot environments. The human body only contains 639! She explains to National Geographic that when an elephant feels uneasy, or is ambivalent about what to do next, he or she may use the trunk in a “touch-face” gesture, a “self-directed touching of the face, mouth, ear, trunk, tusk, or temporal gland, apparently to reassure and self-soothe.” Apparently, elephants pet themselves with their trunks to makes themselves feel better. Elephant Trunk Tusks Ears Kid's Facts & Picture Book (Kid's facts and picture books) (English Edition) Elephant Notebook: Cute Elephant Journal Animal Themed Cutie Elephants Notebook | Blank 6 X 9 Inches 100 Pages Book lined for Girls Boys Kids | Write, Sketch, Doodle and Draw College Design | TIZORAX Lemon Ear Elephant Slip-on Loafer Schuhe für Herren Jungen Mode Canvas Flach … Besides its enormous size, the most notable thing about an elephant is its trunk; basically an extremely elongated nose and upper lip. Elephant trunk snake has loose skin, lined with little, rough scales due to sharp triangular ridges on their surface. Running from the brain to the trunk is a special proboscis nerve for controlling the trunks’ pinpoint movements. We look forward to seeing you there! Elephant Trunk Tusks Ears Kid's Facts & Picture Book (Kid's facts and picture books) (English Edition) Elephant Notebook: Cute Elephant Journal Animal Themed Cutie Elephants Notebook | Blank 6 X 9 Inches 100 Pages Book lined for Girls Boys Kids | Write, Sketch, Doodle and Draw College Design | TIZORAX Lemon Ear Elephant Slip-on Loafer Schuhe für Herren Jungen Mode Canvas Flach …