Where does this come from, and can I check it?

That flexibility lets it lift a log or pick up a single seed. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a animals fact?

Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

An elephant trunk has about 40,000 muscle units

That flexibility lets it lift a log or pick up a single seed The trunk carries no bones, only muscle and connective tissue arranged in complex bundles. It combines the reach of a crane with the grip of a hand and also holds roughly two litres of water for a drink. Snorkelling with the trunk lets an elephant cross deep water. It sits in Mondo's animals collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Nature & Animals trivia

More facts like this

An elephant is pregnant for about 22 monthsThat is the longest gestation of any land mammal Elephants talk in frequencies we cannot hearTheir low rumbles travel through the ground and through the air for kilometres Ounce for ounce human bone is stronger than steelDense composite structure gives bone extraordinary resistance to compression forces Muscle mass falls steadily from middle ageAfter about thirty, adults lose a small percentage of muscle each decade A blue whale heart weighs about 180 kilogramsIts aorta is wide enough for a small child to crawl through A giraffe neck has seven bones, like yoursEach vertebra is simply stretched to about 25 centimetres

Tags: elephants, anatomy, strength

An elephant trunk has about 40,000 muscle units: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: That flexibility lets it lift a log or pick up a single seed. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.