Elephants use their trunks for various purposes in their daily activities. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. It is formed by the maxillary and facial nerves and runs along both sides of the trunk. Elephants use contact calls to stay in touch with one another when they are out of one another's sight. They also create low-frequency vibrations (seismic signals) through their trunks and feet to communicate across long distances. Elephants show a remarkable ability to use tools, using their trunks like arms. They have been observed digging holes to drink water and then ripping bark from a tree, chewing it into the shape of a ball, filling in the hole and covering over it with sand to avoid evaporation, then later going back to drink from the same spot. They also often use branches to swat flies or scratch themselves. African bush elephants use their trunks for tactile communication. When greeting, a lower ranking individual will insert the tip of its trunk into its superior's mouth, possibly to pick up cues about its superior's state of mind
Elephants use their trunks for a variety of purposes in their daily activities, including: