Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've heard about this for several years now. Elephants without tusks carry on their genetics while those with larger tusks are less likely to survive long due to poaching.
If that's what it takes to save elephants from becoming extinct, then nature is giving them a helping hand.
Classic example of punctuated evolution, as opposed to gradual evolution. If the pressure on the gene pool acts suddenly, then the response of the gene pool will be swift.
It was only 4 or 5 decades ago that Africa was considered over-populated with elephants (due to shrinking habitat). Between the elephants destroying their own food source and poaching, the situation is now reversed.
Nature is all about dynamic equilibrium-- just like tight rope walking: you don't stand perfectly still, but wobble ever so slightly back and forth if you're good, and with wider swings if you're not so good at it.
I've mentioned it before but it's become the same thing with rattle snakes in some areas. They are no longer rattling because those that rattle are killed by people. Those that stay silent aren't found very easily and live on to reproduce at a greater rate than those that rattle.
What was once an evolutionary advantage is now a disadvantage.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.