Skin: An additional tool for the versatile elephant trunk: Elephant biomechanics suggests a new approach for soft robotics
A new study from Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that an elephant’s muscles aren’t the only way it stretches its trunk — its folded skin also plays an important role. The combination of muscle and skin gives the animal the versatility to grab fragile vegetation and rip apart tree trunks. The research, in collaboration with […]
Elephants benefit from having older siblings, especially sisters
A study of semi-captive Asian elephants in Myanmar has found that calves benefit from having older sisters more than older brothers. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology. Researchers at universities in Finland, the UK and Myanmar have found that Asian elephant siblings influence younger offspring from early through […]