luminox™- Posted April 26, 2021 Posted April 26, 2021 One of the characteristics of an elephant is having tusks near its trunk. The ivory is generally dull white with a certain size and the edges are slightly pointed. Not all elephants have tusks, only a few do. African elephants, both male and female, have the majority of them tusks. As for Asian elephants, only male elephants have tusks, while female elephants do not. The tusks on elephants are actually large incisors protruding from the elephant's mouth. Almost the same as the teeth of humans and other mammals, these large teeth are deeply rooted, so that the roots of the teeth are not visible. Quoting from WWF, all parts of elephant ivory are coated with enamel (a white and hard solid material to protect the dentin of the tooth crown). Uniquely, it turns out that elephant tusks are an evolutionary form of teeth that give the elephant species an edge. The main function of elephant tusks is to assist them in doing various things, such as digging, lifting objects, peeling tree bark for food, protecting themselves from predators, and even fighting. It is not uncommon for elephants to put their trunks on their tusks when they feel tired. In addition to the various functions that have been mentioned, tusks on elephants also serve to protect their trunks which are often used for eating, drinking, breathing, and others. Elephant ivory weight Reporting from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, generally African elephant tusks can have a length of six feet or about two meters, weighing 50 pounds or 23 kilograms for each tusk. Meanwhile, Asian elephant tusks are smaller in size and lighter in weight. It is estimated that one-third of the length of the tusk is embedded in the cavity of an elephant's skull. At the end of the head has a hollow cavity and the whole part of the ivory has a very hard texture. This size and weight make elephant ivory a very high selling point. By humans, elephant tusks are often used for the manufacture of carving sculptures, keris handles, making piano keys, display or decoration at home, and so on. Unfortunately, the benefits and use of elephant ivory are getting out of hand. So that there are many cases of illegal hunting and killing of elephants. This hunting is not only dangerous for elephants, but also has a huge impact on the po[CENSORED]tion. 1
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