Elephants possess a highly specialized dental system, distinct from most mammals, adapted to their herbivorous diet and extensive foraging behaviors. This unique dentition allows these large animals to process vast quantities of tough plant material throughout their long lives, enabling them to efficiently break down fibrous vegetation.
Tusks: Nature’s Ivory
Elephant tusks are prominent, elongated, curved teeth that vary in length, thickness, and curvature between individuals and species. Their color often appears yellowish or brownish due to staining from soil and vegetation. These structures are modified upper incisor teeth, with approximately one-third of their length embedded within the elephant’s skull.
The bulk of a tusk, about 95%, consists of a dense, bony tissue called dentin. While young elephants have a thin cap of enamel at the very tip, this hard outer layer quickly wears away and is not replaced. Tusks grow continuously throughout an elephant’s life, typically at a rate of 15 to 18 centimeters per year. Elephants utilize their tusks for various activities, including digging for water and minerals, stripping bark from trees, lifting objects, and marking territory. They also serve as tools for defense against predators and in social interactions. Much like humans can be left- or right-handed, elephants often favor one tusk, which may appear more worn or shorter.
Molars: The Grinding Machines
Elephant molars are flat grinding teeth designed for processing fibrous plant matter. These molars are larger and more complex than human molars, often described as resembling a corn cob or a series of ridged plates. Each molar can be the size of a brick, weighing around four to five pounds, and features textured ridges for grinding efficiency. The specific ridge patterns differ between species; African elephant molars typically have diamond-shaped ridges, while Asian elephants exhibit more cylindrical or crinkled loop patterns.
Elephants typically have only a few molars in use at any given time within each jaw quadrant, usually one large functional tooth. Their jaws move in a forward-and-backward motion, rather than side-to-side, to grind down tough vegetation like grasses, leaves, and bark. This mechanism ensures elephants can extract nutrients from their diet, which is important given the volume of food they consume daily.
A Lifetime of Tooth Changes
Elephants exhibit a process of tooth replacement known as horizontal displacement. Instead of new teeth erupting vertically, new molars emerge from the back of the jaw and gradually move forward. As a new molar advances, it pushes out the worn-down tooth at the front, which eventually breaks off and is shed. This conveyor-belt-like system allows elephants to continuously replace their chewing surfaces.
Elephants go through six sets of molars during their lifespan. Each set functions for an extended period, generally about 10 years, before being replaced. Elephant calves are born with small “milk tusks,” which are deciduous incisors, and these are shed around one year of age as permanent tusks begin to grow. The wear and tear on the molars, particularly the final set, can impact an elephant’s ability to feed in old age. Once the sixth set of molars is too worn, an elephant may face difficulty obtaining sufficient nutrition, which can limit its lifespan.