Are elephants really right or left-tusked?

Yes, they are! Like humans who are typically right or left-handed, elephants are usually right or left-tusked. The dominant tusk is called the master tusk and is generally shorter and slightly more worn at the tip. The master tusk is the elephants main tool and used more often than the other one.

The tusks are used to dig for water and roots, to debark trees, to move trees and branches when clearing a path, as well as to mark trees to establish their territory and occasionally as a weapon.
The tusks of of both male and female elephants are acutally growing continously - up to 18cm per year. They can reach over 3m in length and weigh over 90kg. Males have usually larger tusks compared to the females who have small tusks, or no tusks at all.

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