Prehistoric Elephant Had A Huge Spork For A Mouth

Animals don't waste energy developing worthless characteristics. Traits that help a species survive get passed along through generations, while those that are no longer useful fade away.

Platybelodon was an ancestor of the modern elephant that looked like it got hit in the face with a shovel, then absorbed that shovel into its mouth. When Platybelodon were first described in the 1920s, their lower incisors were thought to function to shovel, scoop, and dig. But recent analysis of tusk wear surfaces show that they were used more as scythes to cut tough vegetation.