#Elephant trunk reaching out outline how to

This sounds doesn’t emanate from the stomach, as was initially believed, but rather stems from the elephant’s larynx. If you have ever been on a safari and sat with a breeding herd of elephants you would’ve heard the low rumbling sound resonating from the herd as the are feeding. Elephants communicate extensively with their trunks.Īn elephant’s vocal repertoire is officially limited to 4 different sounds, but it’s the different graduations in pitch, duration and volume which enables them to express a wide range of emotional states and this is where the trunks comes into play. I have watched elephant calves bending right down to put their mouths into the water to try and drink, as they simply lack the trunk control to be able to suck water up.Īn elephant herd lines up to drink from the Sand River.

#Elephant trunk reaching out outline how to

They also use the water to spray over themselves to cool off, and being able to spray up to 10 litres at a time can only be beneficial!Įlephant calves cannot use their trunks at first and have to learn how to control them. The volume of water an elephant can suck up into its trunk is obviously dependent on the size and age of the elephant (their trunk grows as do they) but a fully grown elephant trunk (which can itself weigh well upwards of 100kg!) is able to hold between 8 and 10 of water at a time! Contrary to popular belief, elephants do not drink with their trunks they suck water up into them and then spray it into their mouths. Their trunk can hold roughly 10 litres of water. Longitudinal, cross-sectional and lateral muscle arrangements allow the trunk to flex in literally any direction possible.Ģ. It is able to do this by means of tightly packed muscle fibres that keep its volume constant through a variety of movements. What I find so remarkable is how the trunk is able to manouever in so many directions without any skeletal support.

The trunk is therefore most comparable to a humans tongue as they both work in very similar ways.Įlephants trunks are incredibly dynamic and able to not only move in a variety of directions but also able to do so with immense strength and precision. To put it into context, the human body contains only 639 muscles in total, and all muscles are supported by bones and tendons throughout to allow them to function properly, yet there is not a single bone in the entire trunk of an elephant. The number of muscles they contain is simply staggering. Most estimates put it at between 40 000 and 100 000! Elephants trunks are one of the most complex organs in the whole animal kingdom. Elephants have over 50 000 muscles in their trunk.ĭespite no one knowing for sure exactly how many muscles are in the trunk, the bottom line is that it’s a big number.Their sheer size and unique adaptations are sure to draw your attention, their trunk in particular.Īn elephant’s trunk is essentially a fusion of the nose and upper lip and its incredible versatility makes it possibly the most useful body part in the whole animal kingdom. At this moment, the tractor appeared and the team went about clearing a new path next to the swamp, carrying large logs out of the way to make room for the elephant to be pulled out of the mud and re-securing the straps around the elephant’s shoulders.For me elephants are some of the most magnificent and graceful creatures of the African bush. One attempt after another failed, until eventually the elephant had been moved into a position that could be accessed from a better angle for the vehicles. At this point, two Land Cruisers were working in concert to tow the elephant and a KWS tractor was also now en route to help.

The only option seemed to be to tow the elephant in the opposite direction, potentially dragging it deeper into the swamp.

The bank that the elephant was closest to was extremely steep and the ground that the towing vehicle had to travel over was extremely rough, covered in deep holes which were hidden by tall clumps of grass. Nevertheless, Kenya Wildlife Service rangers set about securing heavy-duty straps around the shoulders of the elephant, but unfortunately, the first attempts to tow him out of the mud by vehicle failed.