"The list of feats Andrew Schulz has witnessed an elephant perform with its trunk is as long as, well, an elephant's trunk. These powerful proboscises are strong enough to push over 900 pound trees and gentle enough to pick up a tortilla chip without breaking it. They can snuffle along the ground to sense vibrations from far-off herd movements. They can be used to solve puzzles, peel bananas, craft tools, console a fellow pachyderm or a human friend."
"Now Schulz has found the secret to the trunks' extraordinary dexterity: whiskers. The hundreds of fine hairs that cover an elephant's trunk are some of the most sophisticated and sensitive whiskers in the animal kingdom, according to new research in the journal Science. Using microscope images, advanced computer models and a 3D-printed "whisker wand," Schulz and his colleagues show how the structure of elephant whiskers makes their trunks uniquely capable of detecting motion, handling objects and performing complex tasks."
Hundreds of fine hairs cover an elephant's trunk, forming highly sophisticated and sensitive whiskers that support exceptional tactile abilities. Microscopy, advanced computer models, and a 3D-printed whisker wand demonstrate how whisker structure allows trunks to detect motion, sense distant vibrations, and manipulate objects with precision. These whiskers operate as material intelligence: passive physical features that transduce environmental signals into information for the nervous system. Trunk whiskers enable behaviors ranging from pushing heavy trees and picking delicate items to solving puzzles, peeling food, crafting tools, and providing social or cross-species consolation. Elephant whiskers have been comparatively understudied relative to rodent whiskers.
Read at The Washington Post
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