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Mystery of the Missing Tusks

Camera trap photo of elephant without tusks

Topic

  • Evolution
  • Artificial Selection
  • Natural Selection
  • Environmental Science
  • Human Population & Impacts

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Phenomenal Images

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IB
Saved By
18 Users
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Description

This activity explores images of elephants with and without tusks, which serve as phenomena for learning about selection and human impacts on the frequency of traits within populations.

This absence of tusks, which is called tusklessness, is a natural, but usually rare, trait in African elephants. Scientists are studying how rates of tusklessness in elephant populations have changed, and are continuing to change, due to poaching. These images from Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique show two different African elephants: an elephant that has tusks and an elephant that does not.

The “Educator Materials” document includes background information and implementation suggestions for using the images as phenomena. The “Student Handout” includes the images and background information.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.
 

Student Learning Targets

  • Examine images of phenomena, make observations, and ask questions.
  • Collaborate with peers on ideas, ask questions that require higher levels of reasoning, and develop deeper understanding of concepts.
  • Explain how human impacts can increase the frequency of certain traits in a population.
     

Estimated Time

Within one 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

adaptation, elephant, Gorongosa, poaching, population, selective pressure, tusklessness, unnatural selection, variation

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 08.17.20

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS4-2, HS-LS4-3; SEP1

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1.E, EVO-1.G, SYI-2.B, SYI-3.D; SP3

IB Biology (2016)

5.2, C.3

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 2.1, 2.6
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.A, SP2

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

3.2

Common Core (2010)

ELA.WHST.9-12.9

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1; DP1

Materials

Resource Google Folder (link)
Image 1 (JPG) 72 KB
Image 2 (JPG) 215 KB
Educator Materials (PDF) 369 KB
Student Handout (PDF) 536 KB

Related Science News

Why no tusks? Poaching tips scales of elephant evolution

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