Elephants are fascinating keystone species. They act as ecosystem engineers by modifying, creating, and maintaining habitats in which other species can survive. Elephants play an invaluable role in their ecosystem, influencing animals and plants.
In the video below, Gamelihle Sibanda asks questions inspired by elephants. One question is, “How does nature perceive danger before it manifests?”
Elephants feel (under their feet) a slight tremor in the ground far before humans can detect it. Several bio-inspired ideas can be explored using the remarkable elephant foot as inspiration, such as developing early warning systems that send signals to the community regarding flooding, fires, suspicious activity, crimes in progress, and information about where crime has just happened.
Watch the video below to learn more about their remarkable feet.
There is a chapter in our book Opportunities for Everyone: Lessons from Keystone Species with STEAM & Biomimicry Activities about elephants. One activity is to make elephant footprints using sponges or potato stamps. Then, your children can explain how elephants live in the wild and how these large animals help other animals find water. Another activity is to explore the patchwork pattern on their skin, and there are also several biomimicry design activities included, such as designing a soft robot inspired by the elephant’s trunk and/or feet.
This is exactly what biomimicry looks like in practice — taking a real biological sensing system (elephant feet detecting seismic vibrations) and asking how the same principle could power an early-warning system for floods, fires, or other dangers.
Check out our newest book, inspired by TheBeezyTeacher’s visit to South Africa. It’s a great ABC book for slightly older children, with colourful illustrations and short information about the unique wildlife, rich history, colourful traditions, and awe-inspiring landmarks. The book is a wonderful inspiration for adding art to your biomimicry project!
Sources
- University of Oxford, New study finds elephants show risk-avoidance behaviour in response to human-generated seismic cues
- Save the Elephants, Picking Up Good Vibrations: Feeling the Beat Through the Elephants’ Feet
Frequently Asked Questions
What is biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature for solutions, then applying what we learn to design and problem-solving. Instead of inventing from scratch, it means studying how plants, animals, and ecosystems have already solved a challenge — like staying cool, collecting water, or absorbing carbon — and adapting that strategy for human use.
How does biomimicry help address climate change?
Nature has been adapting to extreme conditions for billions of years, so many organisms already hold working solutions to problems we now face at a larger scale — cooling buildings without electricity (termite mounds), collecting water in drought (the Namib beetle), protecting coastlines from storms (mangrove roots), and capturing carbon (corals, forests, kelp). Biomimicry means studying those solutions and applying the same principles to human design.
How can children get involved in biomimicry?
Children don’t need special training to think like a biomimicrist — just curiosity and a habit of asking “how does nature solve this?” Simple ways to start include a backyard scavenger hunt for nature’s patterns, a “design-an-animal” challenge for a changing climate, or building a small model (like a passive-cooling structure or a water collector) inspired by something they’ve observed outdoors.
Is biomimicry only for scientists and engineers?
No — biomimicry is as much a mindset as a profession. Anyone can practice it by observing nature closely and asking design questions. Professional biomimicry practitioners apply it in architecture, materials science, and engineering, but the same core skill — careful observation followed by “what if we built it that way?” — is exactly what this post’s classroom and family activities are designed to build in children.
Åsa Jomård
In 2015, Åsa completed a course in Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. With over 10 years of experience exploring nature for inspiration and as a former member of Ben, Biomimicry Education Network, she brings both academic background and creative teaching experience to her work. Her materials seamlessly integrate stories, nature observations, and design challenges, making them perfect for inquiry-led learning in early primary contexts.
AI was used as a Thinking Partner.