Do All Elephants Have Tusk?

Elephant tusks evolved from teeth, giving the species an evolutionary advantage. ... Both male and female African elephants have tusks, while only male Asian elephants, and only a certain percentage of males today, have tusks.

Why do some elephants not have tusks?

It's not natural selection that is causing elephants to evolve without tusks, says Ryan Long, a researcher who has studied the elephants at Gorongosa National Park. ... It's an artificial selection, caused by decades of poaching.

Can an elephant live without tusks?

Animals that don't have tusks survive because they don't appeal to the poachers," Long explained. "And so their genes are passed on to the next generation. ... In Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa, poaching pressure has resulted in an astounding 98 per cent of the 174 female elephants being born without tusks.