Elephants make the most interesting subjects for photography as they are always doing something. Even when you are not photographing them, they are such a joy to observe. Going through images from last year’s short safaris around Kenya’s famous parks/reserves, I noted several of them with tusk abnormalities.

Tusks are modified incisors and just like in humans, they too can develop abnormalities during the growth stage. These can be due to genetic or congenital conditions while others are caused by trauma. According to research, this can happen to both males and females of a given species. This has also been seen it both the African & Asiatic elephants.

Interestingly the images you see below are all of females from 3 different wilderness areas within Kenya. I am yet to see a male with this deformity but I am sure they are out there. These elephants stand out from the herd and are very easy to identify.