Scientists from Germany have carried out a study that has helped to understand why elephants need whiskers on their trunks. Elephant whiskers were first described in 1890, but until now it wasn't clear why they were needed. A new study has shown that the whiskers help elephants to hold objects in their trunks, rather than to "feel" their environment.
The structure of an elephant's whiskers
Researchers studied the trunk tips of six African and eight Asian elephants that lived in zoos and either died of natural causes or were euthanised because of serious health problems. Samples were taken from 11 adults, one juvenile and two newborn calves. The researchers also examined the whiskers of six-week-old male laboratory rats to compare elephant whisker anatomy with that of other mammals.
The scientists found that elephant whiskers are very different from rat whiskers: they are cylindrical (rats have tapered whiskers that prevent them from getting caught in surrounding objects), relatively thick and strong. And their follicles are simpler, apparently not allowing the elephant's brain to detect the fine movements of the hairs. We also found interspecific differences in the number of whiskers: adult African elephants had, on average, 1.7 times more whiskers than Asian elephants.
Why elephants need trunk whiskers
Even during complex trunk movements, the whiskers remained motionless, and the authors of the study believe that elephants need whiskers not for "groping" but to avoid dropping and damaging objects held in the trunk. The presence of sensitive hairs makes it possible to understand exactly how hard to squeeze something with the trunk. This is important because elephants often hold plant food, which tends to change shape when squeezed.
Interspecies differences in whiskers
Scientists speculate that interspecies differences in mustaches can be explained by differences in the feeding habits of African and Asian elephants. In South Asia, they feed mostly on grasses that don’t require subtle proboscis movements to grasp, but in Africa, these animals are more likely to snip branches from trees and shrubs, which means they need to better hold small objects in their proboscis.
Study conclusions
Thus, the new study helped to understand why elephants need whiskers on their trunks. Whiskers help elephants hold objects in their trunk, not to “feel” their environment. Interspecies differences in whiskers can be explained by differences in nutrition between African and Asian elephants. These animals use their trunks to grasp different foods, and the whiskers help them with this task.
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