A possible case of congenital tusklessness in a male African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
The tusks of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) have evolved as intra-sexual combat weapons, as well as tools for feeding and digging. They are also the target of ivory poaching, which may drive phenotypic and/or genetic selection for tusklessness.
Journal
Pachyderm
Author(s)
D’Ammando, G, Daballen, D., Lolchuragi, D., Letityia, D., Wittemyer G., Obanda, V., Douglas-Hamilton I., Thouless, C.
Summary
The tusks of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) have evolved as intra-sexual combat weapons, as well as tools for feeding and digging (Kingdon 2015; LaDue et al. 2021). They are also the target of ivory poaching, which may drive phenotypic and/or genetic selection for tusklessness (Jachmann et al. 1995; Tiedemann and Kurt 1995; Chiyo et al. 2015).