Humboldt University of Berlin research also shows Asian elephants have more wrinkles than African cousins
While humans are split between right-handers and left-handers, elephants have a preference for which side of their trunk they use. Now scientists have discovered it is possible to determine an elephant’s “trunkedness” by looking at its wrinkles.
“The whisker length difference is big and prominent,” said Dr Michael Brecht, co-author of the study from Humboldt University of Berlin. “The wrinkle effect is more subtle, but still significant. It indicates that wrinkle patterns are at least partially use-dependent.”Published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Brecht and colleagues report what they say is the most comprehensive study yet of the lifelong development of trunk wrinkles in Asian and African elephants.
Brecht said it is thought wrinkles make the trunk more flexible – a bit like the folds of an accordion – adding that the theory could help to explain why Asian elephants have more trunk wrinkles. The team found the number of wrinkles was not equal on both sides of an elephant’s trunk, revealing that this appeared to be linked to the “trunkedness” of the animal.
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