Imagine a gentle breeze blowing across the wide, open savannah. Suddenly, a long, snake-like tube rises into the air. It’s not looking around—it’s sniffing! This amazing trunk belongs to a young African elephant. She’s only 8 years old and still learning about the world around her. Luckily, she’s part of a big family. Elephants are very social animals, and they live in groups called herds. These herds are led by a wise female elephant known as the matriarch. Together, they use their incredible trunks to survive in the wild.
Today, the herd is on a mission to find water. But instead of looking, they’re using their noses to smell it out! Elephants have the best sense of smell in the animal kingdom because they have more smell genes than any other animal. Even though our young elephant is still growing, her trunk is already 1.5 meters long and has five times as many smell receptors as a human nose. This means she can sniff out water from several kilometers away! The matriarch uses her amazing sense of smell to lead the herd to water. As they travel, our young elephant munches on some grass to keep her energy up. But she’s not just eating—she’s also gathering clues about her surroundings.
Like many animals, elephants have a special organ in their mouths that helps them detect chemical signals left by other elephants. As the herd moves along, they learn about other elephant groups that have been in the area. The adult elephants are always on the lookout for danger, like lions. But lions usually don’t mess with healthy adult elephants because they are big and strong. Our young elephant’s mom is a powerful protector, weighing 3 tons and having long, sharp tusks.
The elephant’s trunk is like a super strong arm with no bones and about 40,000 muscles! This allows it to do all sorts of things. At 8 years old, our young elephant can already use her trunk to move small trees and do delicate tasks like wiping her eye. She can even break a branch to the right size and use it to swat away annoying insects.
Suddenly, the matriarch stops and sniffs the air. Elephants can recognize each other by smell, and they have great memories for scents. The matriarch smells something familiar and lets out a loud call. This sound travels through the air and even through the ground as low rumbles that other elephants can feel with their feet from up to 10 kilometers away.
Our young elephant feels a bit nervous because she senses something new is happening. Her mom notices this too. As another herd of elephants approaches, both groups raise their trunks to check each other out. But soon, they recognize each other and start making happy sounds. The elephants greet each other and even use their trunks to explore what the others have been eating.
With the reunion complete, both herds head to their final destination: the watering hole. Here, the older elephants can suck up to 8 liters of water into their trunks and spray it over themselves to cool down. Meanwhile, our young elephant has a blast playing in the mud with her friends. She digs into the mud and even uses her trunk like a snorkel to breathe while she’s underwater. The two matriarchs watch over their herds happily before turning their attention back to the horizon, ready for their next adventure.
Create your own elephant trunk using paper and tape. Try to mimic the flexibility and strength of a real elephant trunk. Use your crafted trunk to pick up small objects and see how well you can control it. This will help you understand how elephants use their trunks for various tasks.
Set up a scent trail using different natural scents like vanilla, mint, or lemon. Blindfold yourself and try to follow the trail using only your sense of smell. This activity will give you an idea of how elephants use their powerful sense of smell to find water and other resources.
Form a group and role-play as an elephant herd. Assign roles such as the matriarch, young elephant, and other herd members. Use your imagination to navigate through challenges like finding water or avoiding predators. This will help you understand the social structure and teamwork in elephant herds.
Learn about the strength of an elephant’s trunk by experimenting with different materials. Use rubber bands, strings, and weights to simulate how muscles work together. This will help you appreciate the complexity and power of an elephant’s trunk.
Play a game where you communicate with your friends using only sounds and vibrations, similar to how elephants communicate. Use drums or stomp on the ground to send messages. This will help you understand how elephants use sound and vibrations to communicate over long distances.
As a gentle breeze flows through the savannah, a snake-shaped tube extends into the air, scanning the horizon like a periscope. But it’s not seeing—it’s sniffing for odors like the scent of a watering hole or the presence of a potential predator. The trunk belongs to a young African elephant. At only 8 years old, she still has much to learn about her environment. Fortunately, she’s not alone. Elephants are highly social animals, with females living in close-knit herds led by a single matriarch. Each member of the group possesses one of the most versatile tools in the savannah to help them survive.
Today, her herd is searching for water, or more accurately, smelling for it. Elephants have more genes dedicated to smell than any other creature, making them the best sniffers in the animal kingdom. Even at her young age, her trunk is already 1.5 meters long and contains five times as many olfactory receptors as a human nose, allowing her to detect standing water several kilometers away. The matriarch uses her keen sense of smell to guide the herd’s journey. Their trek is long, so our young elephant keeps her energy up by snacking on patches of thick grass. This light lunch isn’t just about staying fed—she’s also looking for clues.
Like many mammals, vents in the roof of an elephant’s mouth lead directly to the vomeronasal organ, which can detect chemical signals left by other elephants. As the herd forages, they gather information about which other herds have passed through the area. Meanwhile, the adults in the group remain vigilant for signs of other animals, including potential threats. Fortunately, while lions may target a young or sickly elephant, few would dare to challenge a healthy adult. Weighing 3 tons and equipped with powerful tusks nearly a meter long, our elephant’s mother is a formidable presence.
Her flexible trunk serves as a powerful arm, containing no bones and an estimated 40,000 muscles, allowing for a wide range of movements. At 8 years old, our elephant’s trunk is already strong enough to move small fallen trees, while finger-like extensions enable delicate tasks like wiping her eye. She can even grab a nearby branch, break it to the right length, and swat away pesky insects.
Suddenly, the matriarch halts their march and sniffs the air. Using smell alone, elephants can recognize each member of their herd, and their remarkable memories allow them to recall the scents of elephants outside their group as well. It’s one of these familiar odors that captures the matriarch’s attention. She bellows into the air, sending out a sound wave that resonates across the savannah. This sound also travels through the ground as infrasonic rumbles, which elephants up to 10 kilometers away can detect with their feet.
If the matriarch’s instincts are correct, her herd should expect a response. Sensing her daughter’s unease from the secretions of her temporal glands, our elephant’s mother is aware of the unfamiliar encounter approaching. As the herd of unknown elephants draws near, trunks from both groups rise into the air, sounding alarms. However, recognition quickly transforms apprehension into joyful rumbles. Members from each herd acknowledge one another despite their time apart, and many investigate each other’s mouths with their trunks to learn what their counterparts have been eating.
With the reunion in full swing, both herds head toward their final destination: the long-awaited watering hole. Here, older elephants can take in up to 8 liters of water into their trunks before spraying it over themselves to cool off. Meanwhile, our young elephant enjoys playing in the mud with her peers, digging into the muck and even using her trunk as a snorkel to breathe while submerged. The two matriarchs watch contentedly over their herds before turning their trunks back to the horizon once more.
Elephant – A large mammal with a long trunk and big ears, often found in Africa and Asia. – Elephants are known for their intelligence and strong social bonds within their groups.
Trunk – The long, flexible nose of an elephant, used for smelling, breathing, and grabbing things. – An elephant uses its trunk to pick up food and spray water over its back to cool down.
Smell – The ability to detect scents or odors, which is very strong in elephants. – Elephants have an excellent sense of smell, which helps them find food and water from far away.
Herd – A group of elephants that live and travel together, usually led by a female. – The elephant herd moved slowly across the savannah, searching for fresh grass to eat.
Water – A vital resource for all living things, including elephants, which need it to drink and bathe. – During the dry season, elephants travel long distances to find water sources.
Matriarch – The oldest and most experienced female elephant in a herd, who leads and makes decisions for the group. – The matriarch guided the herd to a safe watering hole she remembered from previous years.
Genes – Units of heredity that determine the traits and characteristics of living organisms. – The genes of an elephant decide its size, color, and even how long its trunk will be.
Protector – Someone or something that keeps others safe from harm or danger. – The matriarch acts as a protector for the younger elephants, ensuring they stay safe from predators.
Muscles – Tissues in the body that help animals move and perform tasks. – Elephants have strong muscles in their trunks, allowing them to lift heavy branches and objects.
Reunion – A coming together again after being apart, often seen in elephant herds. – After several days apart, the elephants had a joyful reunion, greeting each other with trumpeting sounds.
