An elephant's trunk has more muscles than the human body
Their trunks contain more than 10x the number of muscles in our entire body.
There’re about 600 muscles in the human body. Now you may think that’s a lot, but when you compare it with other animals, it’s actually not that much. Especially when you compare it with elephants.
An elephant’s trunk alone, has around 90,000 muscles. That’s freaken crazy. I feel sorry for the poor fella that had to count them all.
But honestly, it’s not that surprising when you think about it.
An elephant has amazing dexterity with their trunks, to the point that they can pick up a single grain of rice, or even a potato chip without breaking it. On the other end, they can also lift and toss logs around.
Like our tongues or an octopus arm, an elephant’s trunk is one of the few appendages that can move around without the help of bones. So, it’s not surprising that the elephant’s trunk has a complicated set of muscles.
But it’s the tiny bundles of muscle fibre that gives the elephants their high level of control.
The elephant’s muscles are made up of bundles of fibres called fascicles. It’s how the fascicles are arranged that gives the muscles their various function with remarkable precision.
The trunk muscles are divided into three patterns, each serving a specific purpose. The outermost layer consists of longitudinal muscles that run along the length of the trunk. These muscles allow the trunk to move side to side, and up and down.
Then there’s transverse muscles that spiral on the outside, allowing the elephants to twist their trunk.
Transverse muscles are present on the top of the trunk, and the longitudinal muscles on the bottom. Which explains why elephants can bend their trunks more inward than outward.
Finally, there’s the radial muscles, which form a solid ring around the trunk like a joint. The radial muscles allow the elephants to bend their trunk while maintaining a constant diameter. Since the radial fibres run along the length of the trunk, the elephants can bend their trunk at nearly any location, giving them that impressive flexibility.
With all these muscle structures, it’s not surprising that it takes up to a year for a baby elephant to learn how to use its trunks.
But it's not just about strength and flexibility; the elephant’s trunk is also incredibly sensitive to smell and touch.
Embedded within the muscular structure are thousands of sensory receptors, allowing the elephant to detect subtle vibrations, changes in temperature, and even sense the chemical composition of objects it encounters. This heightened sense of touch enables the elephant to explore its environment, whether it's foraging for food or interacting with other members of its herd.
Their sense of smell is so sensitive, that they actually distinguish between different tribes.
For example, a study found that when elephants were exposed to the scents of the Maasai tribe, they often reacted more aggressively. Their aggression was attributed to the traditional cultural practice of spearing elephants by young Masaai men to show their virility. On the other hand, the elephants showed less aggression in response to the Kamba tribe, who are known for their agricultural practices.
I mean, given the level of dexterity they have with their penis, it’s not surprising that this also extends to their trunks.