Guide-Branch

An individual using the trunk fingers to carefully guide a thorny branch into the mouth for chewing. The use of the trunk to guide a branch into the mouth may reduce the incidence of an elephant being skewered by painfully sharp Acacia thorns.

References: Poole & Granli 2021. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Foraging & Comfort Technique

Guide-Branch

Context: Foraging & Comfort Technique (1)

Female f0256 uses her trunk to guide a branch into her mouth. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)