Big Tusker
May 1, 2023
A couple of days ago, a large Elephant bull with his impressive tusks came past the lodge, feeding just outside the gate in the late afternoon sun. An elephant’s tusks give a sense of true majesty that rise them above other animals. One third of the tusk is actually hidden from view, embedded deep in the elephant’s head, while the visible, ivory part of the tusk is made of dentine with an outer layer of enamel. Tusks are used to aid foraging, digging, stripping bark, moving things out of the way, and defense. Evidence suggests that elephants normally prefer one tusk over the other, similar to being left or right handed in humans. The preferred tusk is known as the master tusk.
