Evolution of Tuskless Elephants: Gorongosa National Park

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In the Gorongosa National Park, evolutionary trends were witnessed which led to the more tuskless female elephants.

Key Points

During the Mozambican Civil War (1977-1992), the elephant population in the east African country fell by 90 per cent due to poaching for the thriving ivory trade.
As the population recovered, naturally tuskless female elephants became a common sight in the Gorongosa National Park.
Reasons for Tuskless Female elephants
- Researchers have sequenced the genome of tuskless and tusked elephants to deduce two genes responsible for this, first is MEP1A, whose roles include the formation of enamel.
- The second is in the X chromosome, called AMELX. This gene is located close to other crucial genes, which are necessary for the survival of males or the Y chromosome. Mutation in this gene affects these other genes as well, causing the death of the Y chromosome.
- As a result, female elephants in Gorongosa can produce both tusked and tuskless female offspring, but only tusked male offspring.

Gorongosa National Park

Location:

Southern end of the Great African Rift Valley in Mozambique, Southeast Africa.
It is a more than 4,000 km square park comprising the valley floor and parts of surrounding plateaus.
It encompasses savannas, woodlands, wetlands, and a wide pan of water called Lake Urema.
Gorongosa was once a hunting reserve, and in 1960, it was first designated a national park.

Source:DTE

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