The African savannah elephant is one of the most recognisable species on Earth. Reaching 4m in height, they can weigh more than 10 tonnes and have characteristic ears, a prehensile trunk and, of course, two very obvious tusks (see photo on the left).
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth (incisors) and, in some elephants, they eventually reach such a length that they sweep down almost to the ground. Tusks are made from ivory, a substance humans have long considered valuable. Elephants have been killed for ivory for centuries and, even today, many thousands are killed illegally across Africa each year. But now we might have new weapons with which to protect elephants – big data and artificial intelligence (AI).
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
