Effect of the habitat and tusks on trunk grasping techniques in African savannah elephants.

Among tetrapods, grasping is an essential function involved in many vital behaviours. The selective pressures that led to this function were widely investigated in species with prehensile hands and feet. Previous studies namely highlighted a strong effect of item properties but also of the species habitat on manual grasping behaviour.

The relationship between distal trunk morphology and object grasping in the African savannah elephant ().

Background: During reach-to-grasp movements, the human hand is preshaped depending on the properties of the object. Preshaping may result from learning, morphology, or motor control variability and can confer a selective advantage on that individual or species. This preshaping ability is known in several mammals ( primates, carnivores and rodents).