Elephant Handshake!

Hey Li!

While watching this video, I heard that African elephants greet each other by putting their trunks in each other's mouths. Asian elephants do it too and researchers think that this gesture is also something that elephants use to console each other after something bad or scary has happened. Asian elephants also chirp to console each other. Check it out!

It's a pretty vulnerable position — to put your trunk in someone else's mouth. Made me think about how all loving forms of physical affection amongst humans are also basically the most vulnerable physical things we can do.

While drawing these elephants' trunks from this photograph I also realized trunk muscles get much close together towards the tips of the trunk, which I guess makes sense for more dexterity or something. Next time I'll write you about that.

Love,

Molly

P.S. Here are my resources for today: these two articles.

Also, here's the next letter.