Some African elephants are evolving to have no tusks.

[Nithavela]

Female African elephants in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park have been born without their ever-crucial ivory tusks, and scientists are saying it's an evolutionary result of the brutal poaching and killing of the animals during the country's civil war.

According to new research released Thursday in the journal, Science, between the years of 1972 and 2000, elephants born without tusks – almost all female – tripled in number. In Gorongosa in the 1970s, 18.5% of female elephants didn't have tusks. Now that number is 51%. Analysis from the study revealed that tuskless elephants are five times more likely to survive.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/...ving-have-no-tusks-years-poaching/6133380001/

 

[Thatgirloncfforums]

Cool. God's got their back.
Why are tusks crucial?

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/...ving-have-no-tusks-years-poaching/6133380001/

 

[Nithavela]

Cool. God's got their back.
Why are tusks crucial?

Read the article, your question is answered there.

 

[Nithavela]

staff edut

Tuskless elephants is not a new mutation. It was already present in the population.

 

[Thatgirloncfforums]

Read the article, your question is answered there.

I did. I didn't see it. I apologize.

 

[The IbanezerScrooge]

This is literally an example of "a change in allele frequency in a population over time." The allele for "no tusks" has increased in the African Elephant population due to the selective pressure of poachers killing Elephants with tusks.

 

[Silverback]

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/...ving-have-no-tusks-years-poaching/6133380001/

The poachers killed the elephants with desirable Ivory tusks...which is a combination of age, habitat, nutrition, and genetics, mostly genetics

The best examples were taken leaving elephants with smaller, or, no tusks. This genetic trait is passed on to the next generation, which is why we are seeing fewer elephants with large tusks.

The elephant poaching situation in Africa has improved, between, 2012 and 2016, 35,000 elephants a year were being poached, leaving hundreds of milk dependent, orphaned calves, who didn't know what to do, or where to go..unless rescued, they either died of dehydration, starvation, or they were lunch for a pack of hyenas.

The plight of Ivory orphans is the best case for preserving the death penalty.

 

[HARK!]

MOD HAT ON

MOD HAT OFF​

 

[SkyWriting]

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/...ving-have-no-tusks-years-poaching/6133380001/

And for some reason the tuskless males are are miscarried.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

Yet in that same time period human selective pressure on elephants has had an effect. Does the study address how the mutation rate in elephants makes this possible as opposed to species such as homo sapiens where it is not possible?

It's not just a question of time, the nature and severity of the selection pressure is important.

 

[FreeinChrist]

ADVISOR HAT

A little more clean up was done.
Stay on the topic that is in the OP. ​