The monkey has a prehensile tail. The elephant has a prehensile trunk.

Recent Examples on the Web

As their name suggests, brushtails have long, thick tails with a prehensile tip and a furless patch on the underside, both of which help them hang onto tree branches. National Geographic, "Possums," 6 Mar. 2020

Although Hollywood tends to focus on their teeth, grizzlies have prehensile lips that are perfect for stripping berries off branches, and their claws are ideal for digging up roots and turning over rocks to look for insects. Brent Crane, Discover Magazine, "Grizzly Bears Might Return to California. Is the State Ready?," 12 Mar. 2019

The partially prehensile proboscis helps the species probe the ground for leaves and fallen fruit. Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For the Fourth, bring out the (San Diego Zoo) babies!," 3 July 2018

The cuscus hangs on by its fingertips—or its curling, prehensile tail. The Economist, "Asia’s appetite for endangered species is relentless," 19 Apr. 2018

In a woodblock, once In an early-Netherlandish world, He is shown with a crocodile, a unicorn, and a wobbly man With a tail and prehensile feet. Connie Bruck, The New Yorker, "Giraffe," 14 Mar. 2018

Correction: A previous version of this article state New World monkeys lack prehensile tails. Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, "Mysterious Amazon Animal Seen Alive for First Time in 80 Years," 25 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prehensile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.