An elephant’s trunk contains around 40,000 individual muscles, compared to about 600 in the entire human body. These muscles are arranged in intricate layers, allowing extreme precision and strength. Elephants can use their trunks to gently pick up a single blade of grass or rip heavy branches from trees. The trunk also functions as a nose, hand, drinking straw, and communication device. There are no bones in the trunk at all—its power comes purely from muscle coordination.
This matters because the trunk allows elephants to survive in varied and harsh environments. It replaces multiple body parts with one ultra-adaptable structure.
The trunk’s versatility has influenced soft-robotics research, helping engineers design flexible robotic arms. Nature solved a mechanical problem long before humans did.
Elephants can lift over 300 kilograms with their trunk, yet still feel textures as small as a coin. Each trunk tip has finger-like extensions that vary by species.
National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com)