The elephant proboscis (trunk) exhibits an extraordinary kinematic versatility as it can manipulate a single blade of grass but also carry loads up to 270 kilograms. Using motion-capture technologies developed for the movie industry, we demonstrate that the complex behaviours of the elephant trunk emerge from the combination of a finite set of basic movements such as the propagation of an inward curvature and the formation of pseudo-joints. In addition, we show that the elephant trunk velocity obeys a mathematical law observed in human hand drawing movements. These results are published today in the journal Current Biology.
Summary Video
Supplemental videos, web-applications, and a virtual-reality application for Oculus VR headsets
https://www.lanevol.org/projects/proboscis
Original article
Elephants evolved strategies reducing the biomechanical complexity of their trunk
Dagenais, Hensman, Haechler & Milinkovitch*
Current Biology, Vol. 31 (August 2021)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.029
*Correspondence: Michel.Milinkovitch@unige.ch
Press release
Download the press release here (in English — in French).
Paule Dagenais, Michel Milinkovitch and one of the elephants used in this study, Bela Bela, South Africa.
Joseph Kamupambe and one of the elephants used in this study.When reaching for a target to the side, the trunk can form rigid segments connected by pseudo-joints, analogous to an elbow and wrist in an articulated skeleton. Bela Bela, South Africa.