Do Female Elephants Have Tusks? How Can We Protect Them?

Elephants are the largest land animals on earth for whom poaching for their tusks has made them tusk-less.

Evolution is the term with which you can acknowledge natural changes taking place over a period of time. However, evolution in elephants with regards to their tusks is artificial or man-made because of their illegal trade for ivory.

In Mozambique and Gorongosa, elephants have started to give birth to babies without tusks. This is not due to evolution but due to the cutting of tusks by humans, which has created a natural genetic disorder in these species.

The length of the tusk of an adult is much larger than the tusk of a young elephant because the tusk of an elephant helps to determine their age. The tusk also protects the trunk of elephants and helps them defend themselves from their predators.

However, many elephants have gone from tusked to tusk-less; this has led to a sense of insecurity in terms of their safety.

The length and size of tusks have also decreased over a period of time. Although many steps have been taken to protect these animals, the illegal trade in ivory is still prevalent in Africa and Asia.

If you enjoyed reading this article about female elephant's tusks, then do read some other interesting and surprising fun facts about can elephants swim and how fast can an elephant run.

At what age do African elephants grow tusks?

African elephants grow their tusks at the age of two.

The tusks of African elephants are present from the very moment they are born but do not appear to be the same way as when their tusks are fully grown. African elephants' baby tusks are small milk teeth that naturally appear by the age of two years old.

Both males and females of the same species have tusks. The tusks of the elephant population can help to tell their age.

However, poachers and their hunting of African elephants have made them tusk-less. This has resulted in the birth of elephants without tusks.

Why do elephants have tusks?

Elephants have tusks for a variety of reasons. The large teeth of the elephant population have evolved over time for digging, lifting objects, gathering food, and tearing the bark off of trees. Apart from this, the ivory tusks of the elephants protect the trunk for their own survival, such as when they are drinking, eating, and breathing.

Elephant tusks have been a major cause of elephant extinction. The elephants' tusks made of ivory are very expensive and have many medicinal uses.

Under this pressure from poachers, hunting for the ivory tusks of wildlife elephants has been stopped by making certain laws as this is affecting many elephants in the world, including male elephants. Now, even male elephants are born tusk-less.

Many steps have been taken for their conservation due to this drastic genetic change in the population of wildlife elephants, specifically African elephants.

Do both genders of elephants have tusks?

African elephant males and females both have tusks, while Asian elephant males have tusks as well. The females of Asian elephants do not have tusks and are tusk-less.

African elephants are found in Africa, and both males and females have tusks. However, due to poaching for their tusks, this animal's population is becoming tusk-less.

Female African elephants with no tusks were only 2-4% of the population a few decades ago. The adults of African elephants have a huge body size along with their tusks. The same is not true in the case of Asian elephants, who live in Asia.

Asian elephant tusks are only found in male elephants. However, even the population of males has gone tusk-less, either as a result of poaching or a genetic disorder that damages parts of the body, such as ivory tusks.

Why do elephants die when their tusks are removed?

Elephant tusks are evolved incisor teeth, which, when damaged, hurt these populations exactly the same way that your teeth do if they get broken.

Elephants have calcium in their long tusks. While poaching, poachers cut down elephant tusks, which causes extreme pain to these poor animals, like any other animal in the world. This pain is not tolerated by them, and they eventually die.

Poachers poach elephant populations for their ivory tusks. Tusk-less elephants lose all calcium in their bodies and are being killed by humans. For this reason, a number of conservation steps have been taken in Kenya, Africa and Asia to protect these animals from poaching.

Do female Indian elephants have tusks?

No, female Indian or Asian elephants do not have tusks.

The tusk-less elephant is not the result of natural evolution but man-made evolution, which is taking place due to the poaching of these animals for their ivory tusks. In Kenya, Africa, a large number of male elephants have gone tusk-less for the same reason.

In Asia, elephant females do not have tusks and are similar to a large number of males known as makhnas.

Humans engage in killing this animal species, including both adult and young elephants. From tusked to tusk-less, this has led to a sense of insecurity in terms of their safety.

Can an elephant regrow its tusks?

No, the tusk of an elephant does not regrow. The tusk of the elephant is its incisor tooth, like a human, which is a permanent tooth that does not grow back again once removed.

Like in humans, if the permanent incisor teeth break off, they do not grow back. The same is true in the case of an elephant's tusk.

If an elephant's tusk is severed, it will not regrow. Though the cutting of a tusk is life-threatening for these land animals, even if they manage to survive, it will be really difficult for them to handle their trunk for the food they feed on from the trees.

The tusks also protect the trunks of elephants.

Elephants' tusk size, on average, has also decreased throughout the world where they are found. In Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa, continuous poaching of tusks has left around 174 female African elephants born without a tusk which is, on average, almost 98%.

How can we protect elephants?

The simplest answer to the question would be to stop the poaching and killing of elephants for their body parts, specifically their ivory tusks.

The illegal killing for the trade must be stopped. The Elephant National Park must not be visited if you have the wrong desire to kill elephants. Instead, you should try to enjoy the beauty of nature and its creatures.

Their natural habitat must not be degraded. Instead, many trees can be planted in order to preserve their natural habitat with full food security. Elephants are among the largest animals on land.

If they are not protected, then it might not take much time for their population to become extinct. All products made with elephant ivory tusks can be boycotted. Any safaris and tours of a national park must be ethical, thinking about these beautiful creatures of the world.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Do female elephants have tusks?' then why not take a look at 'Baby elephant weight', or 'Elephant fun facts for kids'?