Elephants: Are They Right-Tusked or Left-Tusked?
Like how human beings are left handed or right handed, elephants are either left tusked or right tusked. I am sure you are curious to discover the truth about elephant tusks and whether elephants are predominantly right-tusked or left-tusked. Read on to know about the biology of tusk growth, how tusks are used by elephants, and the significance of ivory in elephant conservation efforts.
Elephants at work in Dubare Elephant Camp
“Tusks are used for lifting heavy trunks of trees, we read that in books,” screamed the children in delight seeing the elephant with a log on its tusks. We were at Dubare Elephant Camp, Coorg, 273 km from Bangalore. It is famous for training the elephants for Mysore Dussehra festival.
I always had a very bad opinion about elephant camps, having read about how elephants are trained to please tourists. So I wasn’t sure what exactly I would get to see in Dubare elephant camp. Once I got there my whole opinion about such camps changed.
It was vacation time and many children were seen visiting the camp. Plenty of mahouts managing the elephants and the atmosphere there had no signs of fear!
At the camp we witnessed the bathing of elephants. Children too participated in splashing water on the elephants. The elephants too sprayed back as if participating in a game.
The Biology of Tusk Growth
Did you know the tusk of the elephant is an elongated incisor tooth, but it is not used for chewing? The teeth protrude from the upper jaw and are used for tasks like stripping bark from trees, digging in the ground or knocking dirt off of grass before eating it. The tusk grows throughout the life of the elephant. The biology of tusk growth is complex and fascinating.
Elephant tusks are composed of ivory, a hard, dense, and durable material that is highly sought after in the illegal wildlife trade.
Ivory is formed from dentin, a type of hard tissue that makes up the majority of the tusk. The tusk also contains a pulp cavity, which is filled with blood vessels and nerves that supply nutrients and sensation to the growing tusk.
Facts about Elephant Tusks
- an elephant’s tusks keep growing throughout its life
- the dominant tusk is generally smaller because of wear and tear from frequent use
- significant number of adult male Asian elephants are tusk less
- Male elephants generally have larger tusks than females
How Elephants Use Their Tusks
Tusks are an important part of elephant behavior and play a crucial role in their survival in the wild. Elephants use their tusks for foraging, defense, and communication. They can use their tusks to dig for roots, strip bark off trees, and gather food.
Tusks are also used in fights with other elephants and for protection against predators. In addition, elephants use their tusks to communicate with each other, using them to touch and feel. They communicate from the sounds made by clashing them together.
Elephants Right Tusked or Left Tusked?
This tame elephant was trying to pass the log between two logs of a cabin which caged a rogue elephant. After one log was fixed, it would pick up one more fix it in the next slot. The whole cage built by the elephants there taking turns.
What got me interested was their working style. The way the elephant was picking up the logs and inserting them between the slots with precision.
And the dominant tusk or the preferred tusk, also known as master tusk is usually shorter of the two.
Rogue elephant in cage in Dubbare elephant camp
Seeing the tusks of the elephant I could not make out whether it was right tusked or left tusked, but from the way it was pushing the logs from right to left, I felt this elephant was left tusked. The entire weight of the log seemed to be on the left tusk.
What do you think?
Elephants have a tusk preference. They use tusk for tasks like stripping bark from trees, digging in the ground or knocking dirt off of grass before eating it. For such uses they may use one tusk more than the other . The favored tusk gets worn down from heavier use.
Elephant making a cage
I have known them to use their tusks as weapons against predators like lions and tigers or against other elephants to establish supremacy. The males have bigger tusks probably to attract the interest of female elephants.
For the first time I was seeing a working elephant. Seeing it to pick up heavy logs. I took several pictures but kicking myself for not having taken a video.
Studying Elephant Behavior: Are They Really Right-Tusked or Left-Tusked?
Are elephants really Right-Tusked or Left-Tusked has been a subject of study for researchers for long. It is very strongly linked to elephant behavior. Studies do suggest that elephants may exhibit tusk preferences, but the evidence is not entirely clear.
One study established that elephants have a dominant tusk, similar to how humans may have a dominant hand or foot. This is thought to be related to the development of the brain and nervous system. However, studies have failed to gather concrete evidence on tusk preference or dominance, and instead suggest that elephants may use their tusks interchangeably depending on the task at hand.
Understanding whether elephants are really right-tusked or left-tusked may have important implications for elephant conservation and management, as it can help inform strategies for monitoring and protecting elephant populations.
Tusk Growth in Male and Female Elephants
Tusk growth in male and female elephants differs in terms of size and shape. Male elephants generally have larger tusks than females. There are records of some males growing tusks that can weigh over 100 pounds. Female elephants also grow tusks, but they are typically smaller and thinner than those of males. Tusk growth is influenced by various factors, including genetics, diet, and environmental conditions.
One of the key differences between African and Asian elephants is the tusks. All African elephants, male and female, have tusks whereas only some Asian males have tusks. About 50% of Asian females have short tusks known as tushes – which have no pulp inside.
Tusk Dominance and Fighting Among Male Elephants
Tusk dominance and fighting among male elephants is an important aspect of elephant behavior and social structure.
Tusks are used for communications, but when aggressive male elephants may use their tusks in fights with other males for dominance and mating opportunities. Dominant males often have larger and more developed tusks, which may give them an advantage in these contests.
Tusk fighting can be dangerous and even deadly, as elephants may sustain serious injuries from tusks or other body parts during these conflicts. However, tusk fights are not always violent, and may also involve displays of strength and posturing.
The Significance of Ivory in Elephant Conservation
There is a huge demand for ivory in black market. This has led to incessant elephant poaching and consequently a decline in elephant population. Despite the international ban on ivory trade, illegal poaching and trafficking of ivory continue in many parts of Africa and Asia. There was a time once when tusks were used in ivory work for home décor and jewelry. Now it is illegal in India to procure elephant tusks and keep them at home.
When I visited a rosewood inlay handicraft factory the workers showed me how ivory has been replaced with plastic. Read more: Rosewood Inlay Work Mysore.
Conservation efforts have focused on reducing demand for ivory, improving law enforcement and anti-poaching measures, and protecting elephant habitats.
Read more About Elephants
Elephant Eye, Decorated Elephants of Jaipur
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such a Haathi mere saathi moment 🙂 such precision in their job. You have captured this beautifully too 🙂
I don’t like the way they are treated and use for money 🙁
They are too sweet to be tortured
Interesting!! Elephants are Royal Animals…i love them.
Intelligent animals.. Kind ones too
I have been to Dubare too but I still feel elephants are meant to be wild!
I never knew that elephants can be left tusked or right tusked. Thats a new information for me. Thanks
One of the most intelligent and strong animals…nicely written with beautiful shots… 🙂
Interesting read. I read somewhere that African elephants cannot be easily domesticated as they do with Asian ones
Spectacular clicks of the elephants… hope they’re given the treatment they deserve :’)
They are amazing creatures. Their movements seem so precise…very mesmerizing!
The elephant in the stockade makes me sad. Interesting about the left tusks and the right tusks.
I remember once my dad took me to the zoo and I got to ride an elephant, along with other kids. There was a huge basket like seat on its back. I also fed it a peanut … or something.
mmmm…. I think just as we shift a heavy weight while carrying it between our hands, the elephants too alternate the carried matter, between their LHS and RHS tusks.
Got to check this out from a pachydermentologist.
It sounds interesting both the tusks and cage fixing. The first elephant looks such brave, and it pride for us to have these specie’s.
well, the answer to the question are both tusk. i think the elephant do understand that it is better to use both of course with the help of friendly humans.
Elephants are amazing critters. I just saw a short piece on them last night on TV about how smart, caring and strong they are. Too bad poachers kill them for their ivory tusks.
an amazing fact..left handed n right handed elephants… so hman jus like us. btw i am left handed for most stuff but been culturally trained to write , eat etc with my right hand..more acceptable 🙂
I never knew about the elephants being left and right tusked. The pictures are great and it is a nice cage built by an elephant for the other.
nice shots:)
That’s amazing. Wonderful creatures, so powerful and yet so useful when they are trained.
Lovely post.
The left tusk looks like it is a bit closer to the nose, so putting weight on it would cause less imbalance on the elephants head. That might be why he prefers it to the right tusk, so he would be left-tusked. Interesting question and curious phenomenon.
I had no idea that elephants were right tusked or left tusked, but I guess it makes sense. You got great pictures of the elephant at work.
I think it should be left tusked, as you suggest. I have always wondered – they are so huge and powerful, and still are domesticable animals! But there are some wild animals around Ranchi that are running all around the place killing people and destroying crops it seems! That has even become an election issue!!
Destination Infinity
Beautiful post, Indrani. These images are really nice and interesting! 🙂
Wonderful shots! Thanks for sharing them and the information…I never even thought about elephants being left or right tusked!
Great information, and fabulous shots.
Very interesting post, Indrani. Elephants are such amazing animals!
:)its time I went to a jungle
that was an interesting bit of information about elephants being left/right tusked!
lovely images too!
What a great post for CC! Thanks for sharing!
Great photos !!!
I didn’t know that elephants had a dominant tusk. Interesting information, thanks for that !
What an incredible animal, the elephant. Brave, smart and strong. We should take better care of these majestic creatures.
Thanks for your visit to my chicken post. lol very different subjects elephants and chickens! 😀
wow i wish i could ride on in an elephnat someday
hello ! First visit to your blog and I love that article about right or left-tusked elephants !
Oh I know elephants are huge and strong but why do I feel bad seeing them carrying heavy logs? 🙁
I never knew that either. And yes, he definitely looks left tusked. Must’ve been great to watch.
Yes, from the pic, in think it is left tusked.
very interesting. I didn’t know that.
Terrific photos.
And what a surprise to find out that they are left or right tusked – I see I’m not alone in that by reading the comments 🙂
Seeing it was hard to pick if this one was left or right… maybe it’s ampidextrious…? 😉
*****
An elephant is fat and strong,
His trunk is very, very long 🙂
That man with the camera
makes a cute picture.
The elephant has his mouth open
and the trunk right in the air.
I like that, its funny 🙂
Great shots,
from the strong hard workers;)
Life is not always easy,
especially for an elephant.
He must work hard for the people;)
Nice! who can imagine that these helpers of humans can also cause damage and destruction, as in Gardenia’s garden.
wow!! I learned something new about elephants today, thanks
beautiful shots of elephants. happy weekend.
YAY – he’s a lefty like me! I never knew that they were right or left tusked – what an interesting piece of information! Thanks for teaching me something today!
beautiful shots of elephants. happy weekend.
Oh the things your eyes have seen! I will never see an elephant like that. What a sight!
So the elephant made a log cabin for itself? It looks pretty big. I didn´t know that about the right and left tusks. Fascinating.
Majestic animals with a fascination all their own…
astounding pictures and story
What marvelous shots, Indrani! Beautiful elephants — somehow they always look so wise to me. I do hope, like Deborah, that they are well thanked for their hard work!
Elephants are so smart. One of my favorite animals. We could learn so much from them.
Beautiful creatures! I hope they are thanked for all their hard work!
Hi I just had a visit with elephants today too at a local zoo.
They are sooo beautiful and how I wish that I could know one and have the loving relationship that you see a lot of carers have with them.
They’re amazing.
Great photos and I didn’t know about the tusks.
best wishes Ribbon
Wow, what strength!
Nice shots of the elephants
My entry this week: in HERE. I hope that you can stop by as well. Thanks