Animals with tusks include African Elephant, Asian Elephant, Atlantic Walrus, Borneo Elephant, and Common Hippopotamus.
Elephants and walruses are the most well-known animals with tusks, but there are actually many different creatures that have tusks.
These tusks are made of ivory, which is a valuable material that has been used for centuries for making jewelry, carvings, and other decorative items.
While elephant and walrus ivory are highly sought after, other animal ivories can also be quite expensive.
Tusks are elongated, pointed teeth that project from the upper jaw of some animals. They are mostly found in males and are used for fighting, digging, or foraging for food.
Examples of Animals with Tusks
1. African Elephant
| Scientific Name | Loxodonta |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Africa |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The African elephant, Loxodonta africana, is the largest land animal. It has four tusks which are used for digging up roots and stripping bark from trees to eat. Tusks are also used for fighting other males and defending the herd from predators.
Male African elephants can grow up to 13 feet in height and weigh over 13,000 pounds.
The African elephant has a number of adaptations that allow it to survive. It has very large ears which help it radiate heat and cool itself down. The skin is thick enough on the trunk, legs, back, and head to prevent injury from thorns, branches, and predators. The African elephant also has a long life span, up to 70 years in the wild.
African elephants are currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This is due to poaching for their ivory tusks and loss of habitat. Habitat loss is caused by human activities such as deforestation and the development of new settlements and roads.
2. Asian Elephant
| Scientific Name | Elephas maximus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Asia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, is the second-largest land animal. All females and most males have two tusks which are used for digging up roots and stripping bark from trees to eat. Tusks are also used for fighting other males and defending the herd from predators.
It is found in Southeast Asia and eastern India. The Asian elephant has been domesticated for hundreds of years, used to aid humans with tasks like logging. Eighty percent of elephants in Thailand are domesticated and over thirty thousand occur there solely for tourism purposes. This number does not include the poaching or illegal trade that occurs throughout the region or worldwide.
Asian elephants are found in many different habitats, including rainforests and grasslands. They sleep for about four hours a day, usually at night but sometimes during the hottest parts of the day.
Asian elephants eat large amounts of food per day (up to 620 pounds). Their diet consists mostly of leaves, twigs, and fruit. Elephants eat more than the average human does, but because elephants are so much larger, they do not gain weight as easily. They can lose up to ten percent of their body weight from lack of food or disease before dying.
3. Atlantic Walrus
| Scientific Name | Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The Atlantic Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, is a large flippered mammal that lives in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. Males have two tusks which they use to scrape ice from cracks in the pack-ice so they can breathe while asleep or resting underwater. Females also have tusks but they are much smaller.
Atlantic Walruses are the largest of all living pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses). They can weigh up to 2500 pounds and grow to over 11 feet in length. Their skin is very thick, tough, and oily which helps protect them from the cold water and ice. They have a layer of blubber (fat) under the skin which also protects them from the cold.
Walruses use their tusks to haul themselves out of the water onto ice floes or shoreline rocks and as weapons in fights between males for territory, females, or dominance. Tusks are actually enlarged upper canine teeth that grow throughout an animal’s life.
4. Borneo Elephant
| Scientific Name | Elephas maximus borneensis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Sabah, Malaysian Borneo |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The Borneo elephant, Elephas maximus borneensis, is a subspecies of the Asian elephant. It has two tusks and is smaller than the Indian elephant. Its tusks are used for digging up roots and stripping bark from trees to eat. Tusks are also used for fighting other males and defending the herd from predators.
The Borneo elephant is found in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra. It is an endangered species with only about 1300-2000 animals remaining in the wild. The main threats to the elephants are loss of habitat due to deforestation, poaching for ivory, and conflicts with humans.
Elephants are important members of the rainforest ecosystem. They help to disperse seeds and create clearings in the forest which allow new trees to grow. Elephants also play an important role in maintaining the health of the forests by eating fruit, leaves, and other plants that are harmful to other animals.
Read Also: Do Borneo Elephant Have Big & Long Nose?
5. Common Hippopotamus
| Scientific Name | Hippopotamus amphibius |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Africa |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The common hippopotamus is a large, herbivorous mammal that is found in Africa. It has two tusks on the inside of its mouth that are used for fighting and foraging for food. The hippopotamus can weigh up to two tons and can reach speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour.
Despite its size, the hippopotamus is considered to be one of the most vulnerable mammals in Africa. This is because they are hunted for their meat and tusks, and they are also susceptible to diseases such as anthrax and rabies. Hippopotamuses also face a number of other threats, including loss of habitat and accidental deaths due to human activities.
The name hippopotamus comes from the Greek words “hippos”, which means horse, and “potamos” meaning river. The common hippo is mostly found in rivers and lakes throughout Africa, where it feeds on grasses as well as a variety of aquatic plants. The hippopotamus is an amphibious mammal and it spends most of its time in the water. It can hold its breath for up to five minutes at a time, but it typically only breathes once every few minutes while submerged.
6. Common Warthog
| Scientific Name | Phacochoerus africanus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Africa’s southern Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The common warthog is a large, African mammal that has two tusks protruding from its upper jaw. These tusks are used for fighting and defense. Male warthogs use their tusks to battle for dominance and females use them to protect their young.
The warthog is a member of the pig family and is related to the domesticated pig. They are herbivores and eat a variety of plants, grasses, and fruits. Warthogs live in groups called sounders which can have up to 30 members.
7. Desert Warthog
| Scientific Name | Phacochoerus aethiopicus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Africa |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The desert warthog is a smaller, African mammal that has two tusks protruding from its upper jaw. These tusks are used for fighting and defense. Male desert warthogs use their tusks to battle for dominance and females use them to protect their young.
The desert warthog is a very unique species in the fact that it lacks sweat glands. This means they have to rely on shade from vegetation and digging holes to stay cool.
Warthogs also have large tusks which make this challenging task even more difficult for them, as the tusk hinders their ability to dig holes.
8. Forest Elephant
| Scientific Name | Loxodonta cyclotis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Central Africa |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The forest elephant is a large, African mammal with two tusks protruding from its upper jaw. These tusks are used for digging and defense. Female elephants use their tusks to dig up roots or break branches so they can reach the leaves at the top of trees. Males use them to battle other males in order to gain dominance and the right to mate with females.
9. Indian Elephant
| Scientific Name | Elephas maximus indicus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay Peninsula |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The Indian elephant is a large, Asian mammal with two tusks protruding from its upper jaw. These tusks are used for defense and fighting. Male elephants use their tusks to battle each other for dominance and females use them to protect their young.
This elephant is also known as an Asiatic or Indian elephant. An adult male can weigh up to seven tons and have a shoulder height of ten feet. The female weighs about five tons and has a shoulder height of eight feet, on average. Its skin ranges from dark gray to brown in color and its ears are huge compared to its African cousin.
10. Narwhal
| Scientific Name | Monodon monoceros |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The narwhal is a medium-sized whale with one tusk protruding from its upper jaw. These tusks are used as weapons and to break through the ice when hunting for food. Narwhals also use their tusks in mating rituals where they will swim together and rub them together.
11. Pacific Walrus
| Scientific Name | Odobenus rosmarus divergens |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Russia and Alaska |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The Pacific Walrus, Odobenus obesus, is a large flippered mammal that lives in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. Males have two tusks which they use to scrape ice from cracks in the pack-ice so they can breathe while asleep or resting underwater. Females also have tusks but they are much smaller.
12. Pygmy Hippo
| Scientific Name | Choeropsis liberiensis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Liberia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The pygmy hippo is a small, African mammal that has two tusks protruding from its upper jaw. These tusks are used for defense and fighting. Male hippos use their tusks to battle each other for dominance and females use them to protect their young.
Pygmy hippos have a long, skinny body, short legs, and large ears. They are covered in brown or grayish hair which is not very thick. Their eyes and ears protrude from their bodies to help them see underwater when they swim.
Pygmy hippos are herbivores, which means that they eat only plants. They like to eat roots and tubers from trees in the forest. Their diet consists of many different types of plant life including grasses, shrubs, vines, and low-growing bushes.
13. Sri Lankan Elephant
| Scientific Name | Elephas maximus maximus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Sri Lanka |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The Sri Lankan elephant is one of the largest animals in the world. They are distinguished by their two large tusks, which they use for digging and fighting. Tusks can grow up to six feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds.
The size of a Sri Lankan elephant is dependent on many factors including age, sex, and habitat. Males are larger than females with tusks that can grow up to six feet in length. Females have smaller tusks that only reach around three ft long at their longest point.
Elephant calves usually weigh between 200 and 300 pounds while adults can weigh up to six tons. Elephant habitats play a role in their size as well. Elephants that live in dry areas are typically smaller than those who live in moist areas.
14. Wild Boars
| Scientific Name | Sus scrofa |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | western and northern Europe and North Africa to India, the Andaman Islands, and China |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The wild boar is a species of pig that is found in Europe and Asia. Male wild boars have large tusks that are used for fighting other males and defending their territory. Wild boars also use their tusks to dig up food items from the ground.
15. Wild Pig
| Scientific Name | Sus scrofa |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North Africa to India, the Andaman Islands, and China |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The wild pig is a large, omnivorous mammal that is found in Europe, Asia, and North America. They have two tusks that curve downwards from the upper jaw. The wild pig uses its tusks for fighting, digging for food, and marking its territory.
Hi, I’m Garreth. Living in South Africa I’ve had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal. When I was younger I always wanted to be a game ranger but unfortunately, life happens and now at least I get to write about them and tell you my experiences.