Elephant Trunks Are Incredible!

Volume up to hear Mara sucking the water into her trunk. Elephant trunks are incredible. They can grab a single blade of grass, or pluck a single berry off a bush, yet it’s strong enough to lift a tree casually.

Their trunks don’t have any bones – muscularly, they’re similar to a human tongue. The part of their trunks that looks like a finger is actually called a finger.

African elephants have two fingers, but Asian elephants only have one. Their trunks have two separate nostrils, as you can see in this video.

As trunks are also noses, they have a bit of a mucus drip. This could be why some elephants prefer the water directly in their mouth sometimes, rather than through their trunks first. Of course, laziness could have something to do with it too. ?

This short video is of Rana and Mara drinking. Rana had already drunk a bit before we began filming, so hers is the trunk that isn’t as enthusiastic. Mara is the wider nose and the one whose face you see at the end when she drinks. Their trunks can hold about two gallons (8 liters) of water.

June 19, 2020

Comments(14)

Susan says
June 19, 2020 at 4:29 pm
Love it!!!!!! I was just watching another video on Twitter of an African elephant tossing dirt onto his back using his trunk and it was in slow motion, just incredible dexterity that they learn and develop!!! Thank you for posting!!!
Charlotte Hansen says
June 19, 2020 at 4:47 pm
Thank you for all the fun facts that are always in your posts! There’s so much to learn about elephants, and the more we learn, the more we love them!
Renee' Killian-Zeiger says
June 19, 2020 at 4:51 pm
What’s the MOST amazing thing about all this is watching Mara living her best elephant life she can going forward. It may not be the wild life she was intended, HOWEVER, she’s certainly making the most of her “ELEPHANT ? TIME” Now. That’s a beautiful thing. It’s like the American Pointer that I adopted from the breeder who had her as a kennel dog for the first 13 months of her life. (She was well cared for). That dog was OBSESSED with tennis balls, pointing my cat and falling leaves. The WHOLE world opened up for that doggie. The same with Maia, Rana, Lady, Mara, Guida, and Grandmother Ramba. These videos make my heart sing with happiness!
Wim Diepeveen says
June 19, 2020 at 5:00 pm
Wonderful Trunk Masterclass. It’s quite ordinary to only have a mouth. I do hope to be an Elephant again in my next life. Thank you guys for another exciting video. ???
Margaret says
June 19, 2020 at 5:28 pm
Technical question… So, for a full trunk you have to fill both nostrils? And that acts like a straw, where they then drain the water into the mouth? It does seem like elephants really like hoses, and figure them out pretty quickly!
- REPLY
  Kat Blais says
  June 19, 2020 at 8:03 pm
  yes. their nostrils run separately for the full length of their trunk. once they fill their trunk they lift it to their mouth and spray the water into it. a lot of the girls like the hose sprayed directly into their mouth, which Mara likes as well. it just seems to depend on the day. 😉
Heidi says
June 19, 2020 at 5:58 pm
That is so fun to watch!!!!
Barb says
June 19, 2020 at 6:18 pm
Wow! Amazing what those trunks can accomplish! Fun to listen to the girls drinking!
Paula says
June 19, 2020 at 6:32 pm
Muchas muchas gracias por compartir este video!?
Es un privilegio poder observar estas maravillosas imágenes!
❤??
Sheila says
June 19, 2020 at 7:43 pm
Yes! Big ???gals need big amounts of water!! And cool for the ladies! I think of the freshness too, the hose water is far cleaner than the pond water! ?
Sallie Robbins-Druian says
June 19, 2020 at 11:09 pm
SLURP SLURP SNORT! What a beautiful sound of Happiness!
Rosie P says
June 20, 2020 at 3:13 am
This is amazing! And,I didn’t know that African ellies have 2 “fingers” and Asians one. This is an informative video as well as fun to watch……happy elephants! I love these blogs and learn more and more about these magnificent creatures every week.
TerryTerry says
June 20, 2020 at 9:08 pm
Thank you for this video saw it the other day and just sent to a friend – this is the first time I have actually seen elephants drink water this way. Amazing, I have seen elephants drink from a hose previously but the hose was in their mouths at the time. Loved this. Thank you for all you do for the Girls.
Debra Moore says
June 20, 2020 at 9:54 pm
SHEESH, the bottomless trunks! They can drink me under the table any time! This was TERRIFIC. Thanks!

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