It is very coarse and tough. Foot Care One of the more interesting grooming operations we perform on the elephants is the pedicure. Each toe of the foot has a nail attached to the skin and not directly to the toe bones. We use a small power file to clean and file the nail. This is done every 2 to 3 weeks or as often as it is needed.
Elephants walk on their toes, although they appear to be flat-footed.
The 'heel' of the foot is really a pad of fatty and elastic connective tissues. Tusk Care Tusks are actually replacement teeth that grow at the rate of 17cm per year and are composed mostly of dentine. Not all elephants grow tusks. Also not all Asian females grow tusks. Both African males and females grow long tusks however.