Mammoth tusk

[calgarychef]

I love "finding things" fossils, pretty rocks, metal detecting etc. Finding a piece of mammoth tusk would be a great reason for an excursion to some place cold.

I do know that walrus tusks and elephant ivory are antiqued and passed off as ancient ivory so it's a bit of a problem I suppose. I think because modern ivory is sold as ancient finds that all Ivory no matter the origin will be banned someday.

[jason crozier]

No mammoth or dinosaurs lived in my area of northern Manitoba and I only know of one piece of tusk that was found in a glacial gravel deposit. It's close to where I live so I will be looking this summer for another piece. Hope I can find some! A trip to the Yukon would be a nice treat especially if a guy could find a complete tusk.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I love "finding things" fossils, pretty rocks, metal detecting etc. Finding a piece of mammoth tusk would be a great reason for an excursion to some place cold.

I do know that walrus tusks and elephant ivory are antiqued and passed off as ancient ivory so it's a bit of a problem I suppose. I think because modern ivory is sold as ancient finds that all Ivory no matter the origin will be banned someday.

Ivory from various species can be distinguished.
This is one reason mammoth ivory is legal in most jurisdictions.
Mammoth Ivory is not likely to ever be banned, unless those cloning experiments work.

https://www.fws.gov/lab/ivory_natural.php


Jason, that is not a "Tip". That is a section from the middle of a tusk.

Tusks are composed of many cones layered on top of each other, similar to a Pine tree.The basic shape of these cones is that of the classic canine. Makes sense as tusks are the canine tooth.

These pictures show a cross section and the end of a cone, you can see what I am describing.


A past time of mine when carving mammoth ivory is to let a cat or dog have a smell of the dust. At the first whiff of mammoth, a fire sparks deep in their eyes, the remnant genetic memory from when they were Sabre Toothed or Dired is revived. It's hilarious, and maybe dangerous!

[jason crozier]

That's neat, I wouldn't have guessed that's how they grew. Thanks for the lesson

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Gunslinger257

I don't think it counts as finding if you are the one who killed the mammoth

HAHA!Waitaminit??!!
Cat