How Does The Elephant Use Its Trunk?

A baby elephant does not suck from mother's breasts with its trunk, but, rather, lets it curl back over its head and nurses by mouth. But in three or four years, when mother can no longer stand the jabs of her juvenile's sprouting tusks, she weans the thirsty youth forcibly.  As the little one gets older, its trunk may intrude into an adult's mouth to investigate the food being chewed there.

Though an adult's trunk may weigh about 300 pounds (135 kilos), the thousands of muscles along its six-foot (2-meter) length and flexible "fingers" at the tip make it very versatile indeed. It houses a highly sensitive nose, and, due to the animal's very limited hearing and sight, the trunk is always moving around, sniffing out the environment like a sensitive antenna, and feeling for shape, texture and temperature. An extended trunk is also a typical greeting among elephants in what appears to be a measured motion of affection. When humans gain their trust, an extended trunk is accepted as a sign of mutual confidence.