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Number of African elephants Men with African elephant tusks in Dar es Salaam, c. 1900. Both species are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and poaching for the illegal ivory trade is a threat in several range countries as well.
The dominant, or "master" tusk, is typically more worn down, as it is shorter and blunter. For African elephants, tusks are present in both males and females and are around the same length in both sexes, reaching up to 300 cm (9 ft 10 in), [55] but those of males tend to be more massive. [56] In the Asian species, only the males have large tusks.
In 2013, over 20,000 African elephants were killed for their ivory. The slaughter of African elephants is driven by the black market value of elephant ivory. The illicit trade in ivory is primarily in Asia where ivory sells for several thousands of dollars per kilogram. [8] Satao's tusks were estimated to weigh more than 100 pounds (45 kg) each.
This also means that African elephants are taller than Asian elephants. African elephants are 10-12 feet tall and weigh 8,000-12,000 pounds, while Asian elephants are 7-10 feet tall and weigh ...
An African elephant in Tanzania, with visible tusks. Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors.
The African forest elephant's tusks are straight and point downwards, [4] and are present in both males and females. [13] The African forest elephant has pink tusks, which are thinner and harder than the tusks of the African bush elephant. The length and diameter vary between individuals. [12]
Traditionally, male and female African elephants possess tusks, while only some male Asian elephants have prominent tusks. Smaller tusks can be found in both female and male Asian elephants.
The study was made on African elephants, which grow tusks in both sexes. It was then argued that the presence of the two genes in female and male elephants can ensure the growth of tusks.