Page 44 - The World of Animals

muscles. What you have read is

right: "50,000" muscles! Its
nostrils are at the tip of this

trunk. Elephants use their
trunks to put food and water into their mouths, to lift things and, of

course, to smell. This trunk is capable of holding four litres of water.
They either squirt this water into their mounts and drink it or spray

it on their bodies.
Surprisingly, an elephant can even pick up a tiny pea seed with its

trunk –which can lift such huge things–break it in its mouth and eat
it. It is really amazing that such a huge animal can accomplish such

delicate operations. This "multifunctional" trunk can be used as a
long finger, a trumpet or sometimes as a loudspeaker.
42
Besides that, elephants use their trunks to spray water on
themselves to have a shower or throw dust on themselves for a dust-

bath. Yet, new-born elephants fail to use their trunks. They
sometimes even step on their trunks and fall down. We may find this

amusing but surely these little babies do not like it. A mother
elephant accompanies her young elephant for twelve years. During

the first six months, she teaches the baby how to use its trunk and
she never becomes bored doing this.

On both sides of their mouths, elephants have two long sharp tusks.
These tusks help them to protect themselves. Also, an elephant uses one

of these tusks to dig holes in the ground and find water.
The teeth of these animals–which chew fibrous plants–wear out easily.

For this reason, our Lord has given them a very important characteristic:
Every worn-out tooth is replaced by another in the back row.