An elephant’s trunk can contain about 150,000 separate muscle fascicles.
A muscle fascicle is a bundle of muscle fibers. The elephant trunk has no bones and very little fat, so it works as a muscular hydrostat: its shape and stiffness are controlled entirely by coordinated muscle contractions rather than by joints or an internal skeleton.
The trunk combines the elephant’s nose and upper lip. Its muscles are arranged in several groups, including superficial dorsal, ventral and lateral muscles, as well as deeper transverse and radiating muscles. This architecture lets the trunk bend, twist, stretch, retract and form temporary stiffened sections.
That combination of strength and precision explains why the trunk can lift heavy objects, draw water, smell, breathe and manipulate delicate food. African elephants have two finger-like projections at the tip; Asian elephants have one, relying more on wrapping the trunk around objects. The figure is an approximate anatomical maximum, not a measurement that is identical in every elephant.