That photobomber is not, as you may think, a fat rattlesnake playing possum. Nor is it a sleepy otter. Nor yet is it a drunk earthworm trying to sing. It is the trunk of this elephant.
Elephants rely on their trunks a lot. Trunks are not simply noses. They are used to pick up and move things including food, trees, people and water. When drinking, elephant trunks can hold around 8 litres of water, making elephants the only animals on the planet with a built-in shower unit.
A trunk typically contains around 150,000 muscles along its peristaltic length and some consider them the most sensitive organs of any mammal. The sense of touch as well of smell associated with these prehensile appendages is phenomenal. A mixed blessing, perhaps, when you consider the places they put them.
Trunks are beautiful when you watch them in use. Graceful and delicate enough to pick apples from trees, yet powerful and strong enough to swat small enemies into next week. Trunks. I want one.
Prints available for all images by request.
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