Suck it up: Study probes elephants' suction powers

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Researchers observed that elephants can suck up rutabaga, draw chia seeds out of water, and pick up large tortilla chips without breaking them.

But a tusker's proboscis can also switch to vacuum mode to eat, with suction power ranging from faint to ferocious, researchers said Wednesday.

"A loud vacuuming sound accompanies the suction as food is quickly drawn onto the tip of the trunk," a team led by David Hu, Georgia Tech wrote. By observing the elephant drinking water from a container with chia seeds at the bottom, they were able to calculate that she sucked in the fluid at a flow rate equivalent to 24 shower heads at once.The suction ability displayed was not just powerful, but precise.

But instead of grabbing it, the elephant applied suction near to or directly on the chip to guide it into its sensitive prehensile "fingers".

 

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