Well, it looks like we can thank a changing climate for the evolution of the elephant’s trunk. Proboscideans first started popping up in Africa during the early Eocene, around 55 million years ago.

A prehistoric type of elephant had a second pair of tusks that they used to cut tough vegetation. Platybelodon's bizarre jaw was used as an in-built 'scythe' to saw off their food.

Officials have not ruled out the possibility of man-made torture and believe the trunk may have been cut by a sharp object when it entered some estate land bordering forests.

On October 8, 2024, in Zhejiang, China, at Longzhimeng Animal World, Chén Jiāxī recorded an elephant using its trunk to locate and grab carrots placed above it. The video shows the elephant ...