African Elephant Trunk

Due to their large size and low predation, other than poachers, the African Elephants special senses are being studied further. These creatures have been discovered to use their trunks, ears and their feet for various functions. The elephant’s trunk is the leading organ for smelling. Their trunk works with the organ inside their mouths known as the vomeronasal organ also knows as the Jacobson’s organ (Hia, 2013). This organ contains sensory neurons that cause their sense of smell to be exceedingly sensitive. Their sense of smell is the primary way they find food and water. They are able to use the vomeronasal organ and their trunk to identify water underground. They then use their tusks to dig until the water source is reached. They also are able to find food that is underground with the help of their trunk and tusks.
With African Elephants, they have large ears for heat expulsion but they also have impeccable hearing. Since elephants eyes are impaired by the placement of their trunk and their ears, they are able to use ultrasonic waves to communicate with other elephants when they are not within relative distance of each other (Hia, 2013). The use of these ultrasonic waves is also beneficial for predation. African Elephants are able to communicate with each other across the savannah when in danger. Another way elephants avoid danger is by the use of echolocation. The idea that elephants are able to echolocate is a fairly new discovery and is now being studied further. Scientists are examining elephant’s feet as their connection with echolocation. Elephant feet consist of a cartilaginous pad that were thought to facilitate the transfer of the vibrations but it is now known that the reason elephants are able to echolocate with their feet is because of the two sets of never endings in their toenails O'Connell, Hart, & Arnason, (1999). These nerves are the superior peroneal nerve and the deep peroneal