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The Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, is a living member of Proboscidea. Its trunk combines sensing, manipulation and breathing in one flexible structure, illustrating how one anatomical organ can support several coordinated functions.

Proboscidea is the mammalian lineage containing living elephants and their extinct relatives. Its fossil diversity includes many combinations of tusk, tooth and skull form. The modern elephant body plan represents one surviving part of that history.