Fig. 7: Ventral trunk ridge whisker arrays and their behavioral contact patterns.

a Photograph of the ventral side of a newborn African elephant trunk with whisker positions marked in yellow. All trunks investigated show two distinct whisker bands on the ventral trunk. In African elephants, whisker bands are more marked than in Asian elephants and extend over the whole trunk length. On top, we provide the total number of whiskers counted on the entire trunk of this newborn elephant. b Photograph of the ventral side of an Asian newborn elephant trunk with whisker positions marked in yellow. In Asian elephants, whiskers are missing in the ‘clamp- zone’ (black arrow). On top, we provide the total trunk whisker count. c Photograph of the dorsal side of a newborn African elephant trunk with whisker positions marked in yellow. d Photograph of the dorsal side of a newborn Asian elephant trunk with whisker positions marked in yellow. e Upper, photograph of an Asian elephant balancing a watermelon. Lower, high magnification view of the same picture, with white arrows pointing to ventral ridge whiskers that are visibly in contact with the melon during balancing. f Photograph of an Asian elephant clamping a pineapple; ventral ridge whiskers are distinctly missing in the trunk region posterior to the tip, where Asian elephants clamp objects. g Upper, volume rendering of a microCT scan of an iodine-stained trunk piece with ventral ridge whisker arrays from a newborn Asian elephant (black box in b). Lower, volume rendering of segmented whisker follicles. Note the ventral position and orientation of all whiskers. P posterior, L lateral.