Skip to main content

The incredible, bendable, twistable, expandable elephant trunk - Chase LaDue & Bruce A. Schulte

275,866 Views

3,809 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

As a breeze blows through the savannah, a snake-shaped tube stretches into the air and scans the horizon like a periscope. But it’s not seeing— it’s sniffing. Containing no bones and an estimated 40,000 muscles, an elephant trunk is one of the most versatile tools in the animal kingdom. Chase LaDue and Bruce Schulte detail the incredible capabilities of these agile appendages.

How would researchers determine what senses are important for which functions (e.g., finding mates, detecting food, identifying food)? What experiments you would conduct to find out?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Chase LaDue, Bruce A. Schulte
  • Director Petya Zlateva, Compote Collective
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Petya Zlateva
  • Animator Petya Zlateva
  • Art Director Petya Zlateva
  • Compositor Alexander Daniel
  • Music BigBanda SoundScapers
  • Sound Designer Alexander Daniel
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

More from Getting Under Our Skin