Whiskers on an elephant's trunk may help it feel and balance objects

The study found that elephant whiskers are cylindrical (Joe Giddens/PA)

The thick, immobile whiskers on an elephant’s trunk may help it to feel and balance objects even though they cannot twitch in the way that many other mammals’ whiskers do, a study suggests.

Although elephant whiskers were first described in 1890, scientists say their research is the first detailed study of elephant whisker anatomy.