Grey warty thing

• by Traceydix

  Is this a warthog or something larger? Can't see enough to get a fix on it.

  Posted January 7, 2013 10:23 PM

• by okopho

  I also had to classify this one. I guessed it was the hind leg of a Rhino (wishful thinking, perhaps). But later on I saw several images from same camera (and roughly the same time) that featured a few Elephants. So I suppose that's most likely what it is.

  Posted January 7, 2013 11:52 PM

• by dms246 moderator

  That is so weird! I'd have been completely stumped by it. But given that you saw some elephants there in other images, @okopho, I wonder if that's perhaps what an elephant's trunk looks like when you see it really, really close?

  Posted January 8, 2013 2:19 AM

• by Traceydix

  Yes, could be an elephant. I know they are quite hairy, so that may explain the tufts of hair, but do they have tufts like this on their trunks?

  Posted January 8, 2013 9:45 AM

• by dms246 moderator

  I found a couple of references to hairs or bristles on elephant trunks being part of their sensory system:

  http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MProboscidae/Elephantidae/Loxodonta/Loxodonta_africana/Loxodonta_africana.htm :

  "Elephants are only sparsely haired. They have long eyelashes, sensory hairs on the trunk and protective hairs around the external ear orifice."

  http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MProboscidae/Elephantidae/elephas/Elephas_maximus/10EleMaxDetPhy.htm :

  "Bristles on the trunk are probably tactile and the facial hairs may also serve this function, similarly to whiskers in cats."

  Posted January 8, 2013 2:27 PM

• by okopho

  Despite the poor exposure, the image below seems to confirm that the "grey warty thing" is an elephant's trunk. (It also clearly shows the sensory hairs mentioned by @dms246).

  The confusing thing was perhaps the size of the folds/ridges, which are much bigger on the inside of the trunk than the outside. I suppose this is what allows the elephant to curl its trunk backwards towards its mouth.

  ASG000dh3e

  

  Posted January 12, 2013 6:09 PM

• by Traceydix

  Fascinating!

  Posted January 14, 2013 10:14 PM

• by Jihang

  It's an elephant... go a few photos earlier, and she decides to make a bigger appearance.

  http://talk.snapshotserengeti.org/#/subjects/ASG000dfr2

  Posted January 15, 2013 1:09 AM

• by okopho in response to Jihang's comment.

  @jihang. Not that anyone is disputing that it is an elephant - but the image you linked to was taken two weeks later, so it's unlikely to be the same individual.

  Posted January 15, 2013 2:09 AM

• by Jihang

  Haha too bad, that image was funnier. Here's the same guy though, with his trunk at a slightly more distinguishable distance: http://talk.snapshotserengeti.org/#/subjects/ASG000dfqz

  Posted January 16, 2013 12:16 AM

• by wilderzone moderator

  Just got another from this time, shows the texture a little more clearly. I think the hairs in the first image aren't actually attached to the leg, but might be tail or something else. ASG000dfoc

  Posted January 17, 2013 7:55 AM