In the wild, elephants are known to have tusks on either side of their mouths. However, almost all the domesticated and working elephants in Sri Lanka have no visible tusks. Instead, they have bumps that look like small tusks hidden within their cheeks. These are called ‘peg tusks’ or ‘secondary tusks’, and these elephants aren’t alone in having them. In fact, there are many cultures that keep domesticated elephants with peg tusks instead of true ones. Not all elephants naturally have the ability to grow tusks. Instead it is a trait that can be passed down from generation to generation. The frequency of whether an elephant carries the gene for tusks has been studied by experts for quite some time now. If you want to know more about do Sri Lankan Elephants have tusks? Read on!
Why Do Some Elephants Grow Tusks, While Others Don’t?
The most important thing to understand about elephants and tusks is that it is completely natural for some of them to grow them, while others have the ability to grow them but don’t. If a particular elephant can grow tusks, then it will happen just like any other trait that is passed down from generation to generation.
Tusks are determined by two genes (which elephants obviously have in their DNA). One of these genes controls the growth of the tusk, and the other controls whether the tusk is visible. If the first gene is turned on and the second gene is turned off, then tusks will grow.
If both of these genes are turned off, then the elephants can’t grow tusks, even if the first gene is turned on. This means that the presence of tusks is determined by two different genes that have to be inherited from both parents.
If either the mother or father passes on the gene that makes tusks hidden, then it doesn’t matter if the other parent has the gene.
What Are Peg Tusks, and Where Do They Come From?
Most of the time, tusks grow naturally from the upper or lower jaws of an elephant. They emerge from the gums and are usually attached to the skull by a bony socket. They will grow until they are used up, and then they’ll stop growing.
Because they are attached to the skull, they can actually be quite dangerous. Sometimes, however, an elephant is born with a bony lump on each side of its head but no tusk. This is called a peg tusk. While peg tusks look like tusks, they are actually teeth emerging from the mandible – the jawbone that sits below the skull.
Because they are teeth, they can cause damage to the elephant’s mouth and have to be removed. They can also be dangerous to handlers and handlers will often have them removed as soon as they are noticed in an infant elephant.
What Does The Bump Look Like?
A peg tusk is just a hard lump that protrudes from the lower jaw. It is not attached to the skull, and it doesn’t even go through the skin of the mouth. As the elephant grows, this lump will swell to become a large, bony protrusion that lasts for most of its life.
Because the peg tusk is not attached to the skull, it doesn’t actually have as much strength as a genuine tusk. It’s more likely to break than a tusk would be, and it’s more likely to be removed from the elephant’s mouth during its life.
Although They’re Called “Tusks”, They Don’t Actually Grow From The Teeth.
Tusks are rooted in the gums, but they are attached to the jawbone. They don’t actually grow from teeth, which is one reason why they are removed when an elephant has peg tusks. A genuine tusk grows from the tooth root, and it would be dangerous to remove it.
Tusks are actually the incisor teeth of the upper jaw, but they are modified so that they grow out of the gums. They are also curved and pointed, which means they are better for digging and fighting than teeth are!
Conclusion
When you see an elephant with a raised trunk, it is easy to think of them as gentle giants. However, every elephant also has teeth, and it also has tusks! Most of the time, elephants have tusks on either side of their mouth. However, in some cultures, domesticated elephants are kept with peg tusks instead.
Because the tusks grow from the gums, they can become problematic for an elephant. For this reason, handlers often have them removed from young elephants. If you are ever around an elephant with peg tusks, don’t worry. They can still be just as gentle and useful as any other pachyderm! So now, do sri Lankan Elephants have tusks? I think you have the answer already.
