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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTuskless elephants is a growing thing.
Under poaching pressure, elephants are evolving to lose their tusks
In Mozambique, researchers are racing to understand the genetics of elephants born without tusksand the consequences of the trait.
6 MINUTE READ
BY DINA FINE MARON
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 9, 2018
THE OLDEST ELEPHANTS wandering Mozambiques Gorongosa National Park bear the indelible markings of the civil war that gripped the country for 15 years: Many are tuskless. Theyre the lone survivors of a conflict that killed about 90 percent of these beleaguered animals, slaughtered for ivory to finance weapons and for meat to feed the fighters.
Hunting gave elephants that didnt grow tusks a biological advantage in Gorongosa. Recent figures suggest that about a third of younger femalesthe generation born after the war ended in 1992never developed tusks. Normally, tusklessness would occur only in about 2 to 4 percent of female African elephants.
Decades ago, some 4,000 elephants lived in Gorongosa, says Joyce Poolean elephant behavior expert and National Geographic Explorer who studies the parks pachyderms. But those numbers dwindled to triple digits following the civil war. New, as yet unpublished, research shes compiled indicates that of the 200 known adult females, 51 percent of those that survived the waranimals 25 years or olderare tuskless. And 32 percent of the female elephants born since the war are tuskless.
A male elephants tusks are bigger and heavier than those of a female of the same age, says Poole, who serves as scientific director of a nonprofit called ElephantVoices. But once theres been heavy poaching pressure on a population, then the poachers start to focus on the older females as well, she explains. Over time, with the older age population, you start to get this really higher proportion of tuskless females.
In Mozambique, researchers are racing to understand the genetics of elephants born without tusksand the consequences of the trait.
6 MINUTE READ
BY DINA FINE MARON
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 9, 2018
THE OLDEST ELEPHANTS wandering Mozambiques Gorongosa National Park bear the indelible markings of the civil war that gripped the country for 15 years: Many are tuskless. Theyre the lone survivors of a conflict that killed about 90 percent of these beleaguered animals, slaughtered for ivory to finance weapons and for meat to feed the fighters.
Hunting gave elephants that didnt grow tusks a biological advantage in Gorongosa. Recent figures suggest that about a third of younger femalesthe generation born after the war ended in 1992never developed tusks. Normally, tusklessness would occur only in about 2 to 4 percent of female African elephants.
Decades ago, some 4,000 elephants lived in Gorongosa, says Joyce Poolean elephant behavior expert and National Geographic Explorer who studies the parks pachyderms. But those numbers dwindled to triple digits following the civil war. New, as yet unpublished, research shes compiled indicates that of the 200 known adult females, 51 percent of those that survived the waranimals 25 years or olderare tuskless. And 32 percent of the female elephants born since the war are tuskless.
A male elephants tusks are bigger and heavier than those of a female of the same age, says Poole, who serves as scientific director of a nonprofit called ElephantVoices. But once theres been heavy poaching pressure on a population, then the poachers start to focus on the older females as well, she explains. Over time, with the older age population, you start to get this really higher proportion of tuskless females.
More:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/11/wildlife-watch-news-tuskless-elephants-behavior-change/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=Editorial::add=Animals_201811015::rid=33278463435
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Tuskless elephants is a growing thing. (Original Post)
MoonRiver
Nov 2018
OP
maxsolomon
(33,252 posts)1. I still believe we should import a viable population into North America
and set them loose (on large reserves) in Texas/Mexico, which seems like a suitable habitat. Maybe some large reserves in S. America as well.
Otherwise, there won't be any African Elephants left in about 30 years.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)2. I agree.
All we seem to have are sanctuaries for old, abused elephants (which are wonderful and very much appreciated). But it would be nice to have breeding populations that could replenish the species.