Anatomically, thetrunk is a combination of the upper lip and nose; the nostrils are located at the tip. The trunk is large and powerful, weighing about 290 pounds (130 kg) for an adult male and capable of lifting a load of about 550 pounds (250 kg). However, it is also extremely dexterous, mobile, and sensitive, which makes it almost independent of the rest of the animal. What makes it so sensitive? According to a study ofAsian elephants, published inthe journalScience, the design of elephants’whiskers allows the animals to collect a diverse array of information about their environment.

Theirwhiskers are thick, stiff, and porous near their connections with thetrunk and thinner, denser, and softer near their terminal ends. Objects, such as tortilla chips orpeanuts, that brush past the tips of these specialized whiskers produce different tactile signals than those produced when they touch other parts of the whiskers closer to the trunk. Should theelephant wish to grasp a tortilla chip, for example, the information collected by various parts of the whiskers can help it to understand what it’s feeling, where the object is in space, and how much pressure it can apply when picking it up to keep it from breaking.