Poaching making China elephants evolve tuskless

Reuters ^

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Chinese elephants are evolving into an increasingly tuskless breed because poaching is changing the gene pool, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

Five to 10 percent of Asian elephants in China now had a gene that prevented the development of tusks, up from the usual 2 to 5 percent, the China Daily said, quoting research from Beijing Normal University.

"The larger tusks the male elephant has, the more likely it will be shot by poachers," said researcher Zhang Li, an associate professor of zoology. "Therefore, the ones without tusks survive, preserving the tuskless gene in the species."

Since only male elephants have tusks, there were now four female elephants for each male in China, up from the ideal ratio of two, the paper said.

Similar changes in elephant tusk development and sex ratios have been reported in Africa and India.

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Ping

[anniegetyourgun]

Liberal men have been poached too......

[martin_fierro]

Tuskless Elephant

[starfish923]

A man has gotta do what a man has gotta do.

[Piquaboy]

I wonder if this would work on Damolrats.

[Seamoth]

Asian elephant ivory is just plain lovely--a shame the ban exists, when the demand is obviously there for the farming of ivory.

Does China's system allow for the farming and harvesting of elephants for their ivory?

[muawiyah]

So far this is something called "genetic drift" with one characteristic already possessed by some members of a group supplanting another characteristic already possessed.

It's not a NEW characteristic, nor does it result in a NEW species. (unless, of course, we are talking about salmon, each of which is considered a totally separate and distinct species by a certain kind of environmentalist whacko).

[muawiyah]

Get yourself a replicator

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Asian elephant ivory is just plain lovely

Personally, I prefer baby seal fur. ;-P

(Member of the baby seal club)

[Paleo Conservative]

Since only male elephants have tusks, there were now four female elephants for each male in China, up from the ideal ratio of two, the paper said.

[orionblamblam]

>So far this is something called "genetic drift" ... nor does it result in a NEW species.

Not *yet.*

[Seamoth]

Heh!

Fact is, if the free market were allowed to operate peacefully, wild-endangered-anything-with-a-body-part-in-high-demand would never be in danger.

[muawiyah]

Million or two years, maybe, but try to replicate that in a laboratory.

[PetroniusMaximus]

****...elephants evolve tuskless...***

Hilarious!

They're "evolving"!

I can see it now, "Tuskless elephants now sporting third eye that give holographic 360 vision".

[L98Fiero]

I can see it now, "Tuskless elephants now sporting third eye that give holographic 360 vision".

LOL!

[zeebee]

Actually, the article makes a good point. Only the elephants with small or no tusks were able to survive and reproduce and therefore hand down the tuskless gene.

It would not take too long for elephant tusks to disappear.

[PetroniusMaximus]

***Actually, the article makes a good point.***

Like dark haired people mating and giving birth to dark haired children????

That's not evolution.

[PatrickHenry]

EvolutionPing

A pro-evolution science list with over 290 names. See the list's description at my freeper homepage. Then FReepmail to be added or dropped.

[b_sharp]

Ah. The simple life.