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Elephants can be individually recognized by their ear shape and patterns. Credit: Richard Ruggiero/USFWS
Loxodonta africana
The proboscis, or trunk, is a fusion of the nose and upper lip, elongated and specialized to become the elephant's most important and versatile appendage. African elephants are equipped with two fingerlike projections at the tip of their trunk, while Asians have only one. The elephant's trunk is sensitive enough to pick up a single blade of grass, yet strong enough to rip the branches off a tree.
Most herbivores (plant eaters, like the elephant) possess teeth adapted for cutting and tearing off plant materials. However, except for the very young or infirm, elephants always use their trunks to tear up their food and then place it in their mouth. They will graze on grass or reach up into trees to grasp leaves, fruit, or entire branches. If the desired food item is too high up, the elephant will wrap its trunk around the tree or branch and shake its food loose or sometimes simply knock the tree down altogether.
The trunk is also used for drinking. Elephants suck water up into the trunk—up to 14 litres (15 quarts) at a time—and then blow it into their mouth. Elephants also suck up water to spray on their body during bathing. On top of this watery coating, the animal will then spray dirt and mud, which dries off and acts as a protective sunscreen. When swimming, the trunk makes an excellent snorkel.
This appendage also plays a key role in many social interactions. Familiar elephants will greet each other by entwining their trunks, much like a handshake. They also use them while play-wrestling, caressing during courtship and mother-child interactions, and for dominance displays—a raised trunk can be a warning or threat, while a lowered trunk can be a sign of submission. Elephants can defend themselves very well by flailing their trunk at unwanted intruders or by grasping and flinging them.
An elephant also relies on its trunk for its highly developed sense of smell. By raising the trunk up in the air and swiveling it from side to side, like a periscope, it can determine the location of friends, enemies, and food sources
Kilimanjaro Safari
Walt Disney World-Animal Kingdom-Orlando Fl.
The elephants were the bullies of Chobe Park. Three crossed the river and decided to cause some trouble along the way...
Shot with Pentax 35mm SLR, scanned in from 6 x 4 print.
Photos from my day trip to Elephant Nature Park
More info on the park: www.elephantnaturepark.org/
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Ok, how cute is this little bubba on a scale! Even though he'd most likely break the scale, he was so incredible cute and curious, picked up a PET bottle and snapped it in two while trying to figure out what was inside of it. I did ask about how old they where and one this size is about a year or so. Even though the red Tuctuc is a little bit behind they are basically the same size, you just gotta love these guys : )
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Pinnewela elephant orphanage is a government run orphanage for elephants just east of Kandy on Sri Lanka. This is an incredible place to go for viewing elephants and it’s heartwarming to see how they take care of them all. Some come there because they’ve lost their parents, others because they lost a limb by stepping on a land mine, and some like the biggest male of them all was made blind by poachers and shot while they were trying to take his tusks. All in all there are around 70 elephants at the orphanage right now.
There are basically three spots to see the elephants, two costs and one is free. If you want the freebee just stand outside of the orphanage and wait when they come back from the bathing at the river and you’ll see them walk by. If you do buy a ticket you can go inside the park and get some one on one time with them, although the keepers expect a tip for close encounters. Included in the ticket is also entrance to the river where the elephants go and bathe two twice per day. This is by far the best place to see them and the scenery is absolutely stunning! The elephants are led by a man with a megaphone making a trumpet sound and then they all rush down into the water, they seem to love getting wet and splashing themselves with their trunks : ) don’t be afraid to walk up to them and touch to experience how huge these beautiful creatures really are!
If you go to the restaurant which is on the left path down to the river you’ll have a wonderful buffet at a reasonable price with a view that will take your breath away! One of the most beautiful sceneries for a restaurant I’ve ever seen. There’s also a bunch of souvenir shops along the road but we found the prices to be high compared to the rest of the country.
Camera: Nikon D200, Nikkor 55mm 2.8 macro
Giant cozy elephant pillow - free tutorial here - www.farbenmix.de/shop/Neues/ELEFANTOeS-Kreativ-Ebook-als-...