Did you Know?

7/28/2010

With estimated muscle counts ranging between 40,000 and 150,000, the trunk of an elephant is the most extraordinary "nose" in creation. Gentle as well as strong, a trunk is capable of both killing a lion and caressing a frightened elephant calf. The trunk is an incredibly versatile appendage ending, in the case of African elephants, with two fingerlike projections that function very much like the opposing digits on a human hand. In addition to providing an exceptionally acute sense of smell, trunks are indispensable in virtually every aspect of an elephants existence, from feeding to drinking, bathing to defense and social interaction; the trunk is even used as a snorkel when elephants cross deep bodies of water!