I am no evolutionary biologist, or scientist of any kind. In fact I'm just a simple IT guy who is getting a corporate law degree. However, I keep having these thoughts and visions of what if. If we all could just consider the possibility for one moment of a fully sentient elephant with advanced and developed civilizations and cultures such as our own. Scientists say that elephants already possess many of the benchmarks for being sentient. This conversation will be strictly about the African Savannah Elephant, the recent loss their tusks, and the mutation of many of its populations.
I present my case in the following manner. We all have read the numerous accounts of elephants losing their tusks and how damaging it is to elephant behavior. I am sure this is not new and in fact has been reviewed several times on this website. The use of their tusk is nearly limitless. They use their tusks for digging up the ground, taking down large vegetation, and the males use it for sexual display and sparring. Tusked elephants are becoming endangered and the numbers dwindle day by day.
What effect could this have on the elephants themselves? Could it increase their reliance on their trunks and on tools? Would it make Elephants more dependant on creating tools instead of using the natural tools evolved over millions of years?
We all know from at least a scientific perspective that bipedalism is one of the most important evolutionary feats in human history. It allows humans to freely use their hands and create tools. However, what if bipedalism is not necessary for complete sentience? What if the only necessary requirement is the availability of a tool making ligament? Now what if the hallmark of elephant evolution was not evolving to stand on two legs, but losing their tusk and being forced to use artificial tools as an only means of survival? What if elephants had to develop radically different social behaviors in order to survive? In my personal laymen opinion the conditions are ripe for creating another sentient species on Earth.
Ironically humans are the driving force behind another massive extinction. The rivers and rainforests of the world are drying up. The savannahs are becoming drier much like they were during our time of evolution. And most importantly elephants are being forced to change their behaviors in order to survive and adapt. The losing of their tusk, which has never happened in their history, combined with the severe climate change could have extremely profound consequences on elephant’s social behavior.
Humans are the sole source of blame, nature it self is naturally heating up and Africa is drying up year by year. This is nothing special in Africa’s history, it has happened for eons. However, humans are in fact enhancing this natural process and making it worse than it ever would be without the interference of humans.
Back to major point of this long post is this; I believe and think it should be given serious scientific consideration of the possibility that elephants could become sentient from this whole entire human mishap. I think humans should be on the look out for the next few centuries for the possibility of major changes in the elephants’ social behavior. I think one of the primary things we should look for is an integration of elephant bulls into society with elephant cows.
If older matriarchal females and their eldest daughters can no longer provide for their family group it may force them to change their behaviors. When bulls are at the mid-adolescent phase they begin to inhabit a space away from the women. They begin to inhabit the peripheral lands around the female elephants and not get substantially close to them any longer. Once the young male reaches the age of 14-16 they usually leave these areas and do not return. My idea is that this type of relationship will begin to drastically change. Resources that were once abundant will become scare. Older females will not be able to provide for the younger females and their calves. The water holes will become much scarcer and the vegetation will become even scarcer.
Competing family groups of women will begin to fight for the small waterholes and develop clear territories and rivalries. Instead newly grown up males being kicked out of society they will be adopted by rival female factions and they will keep them at the edge of the peripheral territories for safety and protection. In return the males will be granted access to food, water, and safety. The matriarchs will begin developing close relationships with the stronger elder bulls for close protection. These elder bulls will be granted unlimited access to the herd of females. Male isolation will abruptly end and bachelor herds will be things of the past. Males will be fully integrated members of society, with the weaker younger males at the outer peripheral territory and the older stronger males closer to the herd for protection.
I also suspect that the lack of vegetation will force elephants to adapt new tactics in food consumption. Their diets will switch from a primarily herbaceous diet to a more omnivorous one that includes the meat of small animals like warthogs and even large ones like giraffes. The lack in food supply may also cause these newer elephants to shrink in order to accommodate a dwindling food supply. These new elephants would be:
1.) More social in order to both protect and share food
2.) Leaner in order to accommodate a small food supply
3.) More reliant on tool usage due to the lack of tusks
4.) Groups will be smaller and much more organized in order to protect from the constant threat of other near by herds of elephants.
5.) They will diversify their food supply in order to survive.
6.) Gestation periods may decrease from 22 months to about 18 months.
7.) Childhoods and the age of sexual maturity may increase from 15 years to about 21 years in order to compensate for the increase learning necessary to survive.
These are nothing more than guesses, but I figured it was worth the shot.
Now like I said I am no evolutionary biologist nor do I think this is the end all be all, but I do seriously think that scientist should watch for major changes in the elephant behavior in order to better understand the principles of evolution. I think we are looking at a real opportunity to understand how sentient evolution works. We as humans could watch something evolve from it’s infancy until it reaches the same capabilities as us today. This would offer millions of years of knowledge and wisdom, more than not observing the phenomenon would.
Elephants are the only other creatures other than higher primates and cephalopods closely related to the squid, octopus, and cuttlefish that have the ability to grab things and use tools. If there is any species that can evolve sentience on this Earth it would have to be from among these 3. Cetaceans have a good possibility if they could use tools effectively. Therefore, I conclude that the in my personal laymen opinion that the elephant’s hallmark to evolution will be the loss of their tusks.
I would like to apologize for this strenously long post. Thanks for reading.
I present my case in the following manner. We all have read the numerous accounts of elephants losing their tusks and how damaging it is to elephant behavior. I am sure this is not new and in fact has been reviewed several times on this website. The use of their tusk is nearly limitless. They use their tusks for digging up the ground, taking down large vegetation, and the males use it for sexual display and sparring. Tusked elephants are becoming endangered and the numbers dwindle day by day.
What effect could this have on the elephants themselves? Could it increase their reliance on their trunks and on tools? Would it make Elephants more dependant on creating tools instead of using the natural tools evolved over millions of years?
We all know from at least a scientific perspective that bipedalism is one of the most important evolutionary feats in human history. It allows humans to freely use their hands and create tools. However, what if bipedalism is not necessary for complete sentience? What if the only necessary requirement is the availability of a tool making ligament? Now what if the hallmark of elephant evolution was not evolving to stand on two legs, but losing their tusk and being forced to use artificial tools as an only means of survival? What if elephants had to develop radically different social behaviors in order to survive? In my personal laymen opinion the conditions are ripe for creating another sentient species on Earth.
Ironically humans are the driving force behind another massive extinction. The rivers and rainforests of the world are drying up. The savannahs are becoming drier much like they were during our time of evolution. And most importantly elephants are being forced to change their behaviors in order to survive and adapt. The losing of their tusk, which has never happened in their history, combined with the severe climate change could have extremely profound consequences on elephant’s social behavior.
Humans are the sole source of blame, nature it self is naturally heating up and Africa is drying up year by year. This is nothing special in Africa’s history, it has happened for eons. However, humans are in fact enhancing this natural process and making it worse than it ever would be without the interference of humans.
Back to major point of this long post is this; I believe and think it should be given serious scientific consideration of the possibility that elephants could become sentient from this whole entire human mishap. I think humans should be on the look out for the next few centuries for the possibility of major changes in the elephants’ social behavior. I think one of the primary things we should look for is an integration of elephant bulls into society with elephant cows.
If older matriarchal females and their eldest daughters can no longer provide for their family group it may force them to change their behaviors. When bulls are at the mid-adolescent phase they begin to inhabit a space away from the women. They begin to inhabit the peripheral lands around the female elephants and not get substantially close to them any longer. Once the young male reaches the age of 14-16 they usually leave these areas and do not return. My idea is that this type of relationship will begin to drastically change. Resources that were once abundant will become scare. Older females will not be able to provide for the younger females and their calves. The water holes will become much scarcer and the vegetation will become even scarcer.
Competing family groups of women will begin to fight for the small waterholes and develop clear territories and rivalries. Instead newly grown up males being kicked out of society they will be adopted by rival female factions and they will keep them at the edge of the peripheral territories for safety and protection. In return the males will be granted access to food, water, and safety. The matriarchs will begin developing close relationships with the stronger elder bulls for close protection. These elder bulls will be granted unlimited access to the herd of females. Male isolation will abruptly end and bachelor herds will be things of the past. Males will be fully integrated members of society, with the weaker younger males at the outer peripheral territory and the older stronger males closer to the herd for protection.
I also suspect that the lack of vegetation will force elephants to adapt new tactics in food consumption. Their diets will switch from a primarily herbaceous diet to a more omnivorous one that includes the meat of small animals like warthogs and even large ones like giraffes. The lack in food supply may also cause these newer elephants to shrink in order to accommodate a dwindling food supply. These new elephants would be:
1.) More social in order to both protect and share food
2.) Leaner in order to accommodate a small food supply
3.) More reliant on tool usage due to the lack of tusks
4.) Groups will be smaller and much more organized in order to protect from the constant threat of other near by herds of elephants.
5.) They will diversify their food supply in order to survive.
6.) Gestation periods may decrease from 22 months to about 18 months.
7.) Childhoods and the age of sexual maturity may increase from 15 years to about 21 years in order to compensate for the increase learning necessary to survive.
These are nothing more than guesses, but I figured it was worth the shot.
Now like I said I am no evolutionary biologist nor do I think this is the end all be all, but I do seriously think that scientist should watch for major changes in the elephant behavior in order to better understand the principles of evolution. I think we are looking at a real opportunity to understand how sentient evolution works. We as humans could watch something evolve from it’s infancy until it reaches the same capabilities as us today. This would offer millions of years of knowledge and wisdom, more than not observing the phenomenon would.
Elephants are the only other creatures other than higher primates and cephalopods closely related to the squid, octopus, and cuttlefish that have the ability to grab things and use tools. If there is any species that can evolve sentience on this Earth it would have to be from among these 3. Cetaceans have a good possibility if they could use tools effectively. Therefore, I conclude that the in my personal laymen opinion that the elephant’s hallmark to evolution will be the loss of their tusks.
I would like to apologize for this strenously long post. Thanks for reading.
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, I'm thinking about the Xindi 
.
, geddit? geddit? 
) they could not adapt quickly enough to consume food supplies and they starved to death.
.