African Elephant Sensing Capabilities through Skin and Hair

The mouse and the elephant share a common sensing mechanism, vibrissae, or whiskers. In this study, we dissect an African elephant trunk and perform histology and measurement of the mechanical properties of the skin. We observe both long and short vibrissal hairs, ranging from 1 cm at the base of the trunk to 8 cm at the base. The length of hairs is likely associated with the different requirements at each position. Skin surrounding the vibrissae is stiffer, which may help the vibrissae better receive information. The dorsal part of the trunk is also stiffer than the ventral side, which may help the trunk grasp objects using the ventral portion. Through experiments conducted with histological and tensile test we report the different characteristics of the dermis. Heterogeneous properties of the skin in the elephant may give inspiration to designing of new flexible surfaces for biologically inspired soft robotic manipulators.