More about mammoths : Mammoth teeth

How Do Tusks Grow?

Mammoths have two sets of tusks. The first set, called the milk tusks, are very small and are present when mammoths are 6 months to one year old. The second set of tusks is permanent.

Tusks grow throughout a mammoth's lifetime. They grow from the base of the tusk by adding a cone-shaped packet of material into the hollow center of the tusk (see the image below). This creates a pattern of stacked cones extending outward. Because the cones curve a little, the tusks twist slightly. Each tusk grows between one and six inches per year.

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