Source — figgup.com
Poaching is leading to an increase of tuskless elephants, according to a new study. A new study claims that extreme ivory poaching in parts of Mozambique has led to the evolution of tuskless elephants.
Destructive human activity has left a permanent, devastating mark on the African elephant as a species. Over the last few decades, the beloved creatures have evolved to develop without their iconic tusks which are useful in helping them dig, lift trees, and protect themselves in an attack.
Poachers had removed and illegally sold them on the black market for several years, and although the evolution happened relatively quickly, it seems as though many of these elephants are now tuskless.
Female elephants without tusks were not targeted by hunters, increasing the chances that they would breed and pass on the tuskless trait to their offspring.
