The unique trunk of an African elephant (Loxodonta africana) rises above the wild animal's head deep in the bush in the MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa. The long and flexible trunk is actually its nose and used for breathing, smelling, touching, trumpeting and eating. An African elephant uses two fingerlike features on the end of the trunk to grab things—especially its daily diet of bark, leaves, roots and grasses. Elephants also suck water into their trunks to spray in their mouths for drinking or to spray like a shower for bathing.

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The unique trunk of an African elephant (Loxodonta africana) rises above the wild animal's head deep in the bush in the MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa. The long and flexible trunk is actually its nose and used for breathing, smelling, touching, trumpeting and eating. An African elephant uses two fingerlike features on the end of the trunk to grab things—especially its daily diet of bark, leaves, roots and grasses. Elephants also suck water into their trunks to spray in their mouths for drinking or to spray like a shower for bathing. When crossing a deep river, the all-purpose trunk serves like a snorkel to keep the elephant breathing.

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Size: 2656px × 3600px
Location: MalaMala Game Reserve, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Photo credit: © Michele and Tom Grimm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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