This ivory is both beautiful on the animals and essential to the species’ survival. But what exactly is it? We’ve all seen photographs of majestic elephants sporting long, off-white tusks on either side of their trunks.

Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is the same, regardless of the species of origin, but ivory contains structures of mineralised collagen. [1]

Satao was an African elephant that lived in Tsavo East National Park, one of the largest wildlife parks in the world with a large population of elephants. He was thought to have been born during the late 1960s and to have been at least 45 years old when he was killed.

Ivory traders, c. 1912. The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, [1] black and white rhinos, mammoth, [2] and most commonly, African and Asian elephants. Ivory has been traded for hundreds of years by people in Africa and Asia, resulting in restrictions and bans.

In the vast, sun-baked landscapes of Tsavo, where the red earth meets the horizon, roam some of the most awe-inspiring creatures on the planet: elephant Super Tuskers. These enormous elephants possess tusks so long and heavy they often graze the ground.

Ivory is the hard, white material from the tusks and teeth of elephants, hippopotami, walruses, warthogs, sperm whales and narwhals, as well as now extinct mammoths and mastodons. This resource focuses specifically on elephant ivory, which is the most popular and highly valued of …

Mar 5, 2025 · ivory, variety of dentin of which the tusk of the elephant is composed and which is prized for its beauty, durability, and suitability for carving. The tusk is the upper incisor and continues to grow throughout the lifetime of male and female African elephants and of the male Indian elephant; the female Indian elephant has no tusks or small ones.

These FAQs provide guidance on how to legally buy, sell, or otherwise trade in elephant ivory to ensure that our domestic markets do not contribute to the decline of elephants in the wild. It’s important to note that regulations do not restrict personal possession of ivory.

Jun 4, 2024 · Elephants are the animal most known for their ivory, but other animals like the walrus, hippopotamus, narwhal, sperm whale, and warthog also have tusks or teeth that are made up of a similar chemical structure.

Ivory is harder (resists scratches and wear) and stiffer (less flex) than bone, which is relatively lightweight because it contains more pores. Ivory is heavy and dense: an elephant tusk’s mass …