Natural History Wanderings

The New York Times  reports

A new study highlights the impressive biomechanics and suction power of an elephant’s most defining appendage.

An elephant’s trunk is a marvel of biology. Devoid of any joints or bone, the trunk is an appendage made of pure muscle that is capable of both uprooting trees and gingerly plucking individual leaves and also boasts a sense of smell more powerful than a bomb-sniffing dog’s.

Elephants use their trunks in a variety of ways. They use it to drink, store and spray water, and they also blow air through it to communicate — their 110-decibel bellows can be heard for miles.

Read more Elephant Trunks: Is There Anything They Can’t Do? – The New York Times