An elephant's trunk is very useful for many things. It helps the elephant to survive in the wild. Trunks are similar to human fingers and are very sensitive. Containing over 40000 muscles and tendons. The trunk is so sensitive that it can pick up a blade of grass or a peanut or hoist a 400 pound log. In human terms the trunk represents the nose and upper lip with the two nostrils running through its full length. Trunks enable elephants to reach food otherwise available only to giraffes and climbing or flying animals. An elephant can't drink through its trunk any more than you would drink through your nose. However, water can be drawn into the trunk, then sprayed into the mouth. Elephants also spray water up into the air when they are bathing. This is like a shower to them! They also spray themselves with water to cool themselves! Just as people use backscratchers to reach parts of their backs where their hands cant reach elephants do the same thing. To scratch they hold a twig or stick in their hand with their trunk and move it back and forth or side to side. Elephants also use their trunks for digging holes. Some that have dug down to underground water and drank their fill will plug the hole with a chewed-up bundle of treefibers! Elephants will replace the "cork" each time they return to drink. At the first hint of danger, an elephant will raise its trunk to smell for a threat!
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