▁an ▁ele ph ant , ▁is ▁large ▁as ▁it ▁inner v ates ▁the ▁tr unk . ▁The ▁evidence ▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁fa cial ▁n erve ▁is ▁very ▁small ▁in ▁di pl od oc ids . ▁Studies ▁by ▁Lawrence ▁Wit mer ▁( 2 0 0 1 ) ▁indicated ▁that , ▁while ▁the ▁nas al ▁open ings ▁were ▁high ▁on ▁the ▁head , ▁the ▁actual , ▁f les hy ▁nost r ils ▁were ▁situated ▁much ▁lower ▁down ▁on ▁the ▁sn out . ▁ ▁Di pl od oc ids ▁also ▁had ▁long , ▁wh ip - like ▁t ails , ▁which ▁were ▁thick ▁at ▁the ▁base ▁and ▁t aper ed ▁off ▁to ▁be ▁very ▁thin ▁at ▁the ▁end . ▁Computer ▁simulations ▁have ▁shown ▁that ▁the ▁di pl od oc ids ▁could ▁have ▁easily ▁sn apped ▁their ▁t ails , ▁like ▁a ▁b ull wh ip . ▁This ▁could ▁generate ▁a ▁son ic ▁bo om ▁in ▁excess ▁of ▁ 2 0 0 ▁de ci b els , ▁and ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁used ▁in ▁m ating ▁displays , ▁or ▁to ▁drive ▁off ▁pred ators . ▁There ▁is ▁some ▁circumst ant ial ▁evidence ▁supporting ▁this ▁as ▁well : ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁di pl od oc ids ▁have ▁been ▁found ▁with ▁f used ▁or ▁dam aged ▁tail ▁verte bra e , ▁which ▁may ▁be ▁a ▁sympt om ▁of ▁crack ing ▁their ▁t ails . ▁ ▁Diet ▁and ▁feed ing ▁Their ▁teeth ▁were ▁only ▁present ▁in ▁the ▁front ▁of ▁the ▁mouth , ▁and ▁looked ▁like ▁p enc ils ▁or ▁p eg