Why do elephants have trunks? Because they’d look silly carrying suitcases! All kidding aside, an elephant’s trunk is essentially a big nose, right? Of course, the average human can’t pick up food with their nose. Elephants are majestic, tremendous animals, roaming the savannah in their stately herds. Their unusual anatomy makes them fascinating to watch, but with that long and distinctive trunk, how do elephants… sneeze?
All mammals sneeze, and pretty much for the same reason we might – something irritating the nasal passages, dust or other debris “tickling your nose.” Now imagine that same sensation along the entire length of your body, about the length of the average elephant trunk.
Mammals cough and sneeze through their nasal passages and, in elephants, these passages run the length of their trunk making elephants sneeze quite the explosive event. Also like humans, elephants breathe while they chew – something unique to mammals. This means that irritants can enter their nasal passages from inside the mouth as well. Ever laugh while drinking and end up with your beverage coming out your nose? Ouch! Probably not a pleasant feeling for an elephant at all.
Cats, dogs, baby pandas – they all sneeze, sometimes to our amusement – and just like people, sneezes are triggered by the tiny hairs in the nose. Irritants enter the nose and the body reacts, sending them back out the way they came in. Even fish have been known to sneeze, expelling sand or other clogging irritants from their gills with a blast of air. Marine mammals like whales and dolphins are essentially sneezing when they shoot water from their blowholes.
So next time you’re watching that wildlife documentary, wandering your local zoo, or even bounding through the bush in an off road vehicle, keep an eye out for those pleasing pachyderms. But be on your toes. You never know when you might have to say “Gesundheit, Jumbo!”
Featured Image from David Clode/Unsplash
