"Poachers and criminals kill animals because there is a market for products such as ivory, rhino horn, and other animal parts...You have to remove the economic incentive to poach wildlife, and you have to create economic incentives to protect wild animals and their habitat."
-Temple Grandin, Animals Make Us Human
While ivory is mostly associated with elephants and rhinos (largely because of the international trade that kills these species), there are other animals that contain some form of ivory.
Ivory is basically an animal tooth. Sometimes it appears on the outside of an animal, like on elephants, rhinos and narwhals. But other types are inside the animal's mouth. These are common in elk, sperm and killer whales and hippopotamuses. Below is a complete list of the ivory that is present in nature. Click the links to learn more!
Elephant/Mammoth: Elephant and mammoth ivory have been the most demanded type of ivory for many years. Partly because of the beautiful colors they display but mostly for the cultural significance they hold. Elephant ivory isn't a valuable material per se, especially not when compared to precious stones, but its cultural significance in Asia and the West has created a terrible fate for the species bearing them.
Rhinoceros: Rhinos suffer the same malady of elephants. Their ivory comes from the horns on their noses, but only white and black rhino species are hunted for their horns. Interestingly enough, rhino horns are not used as much for making trinkets or statues, but hold a medicinal value. Rhino horn powder is thought to have magical healing qualities in many African societies, which puts the creatures at risk.
Hippopotamus: Ivory from hippos comes from their lower canine teeth, which are curved. The size of the teeth depends on the hippo, but they're mostly used to make small, flat items like buttons.
Walrus: While walrus tusks are used only for small objects, they are very durable. According to Cincinnati resident Irving Laibson, who owns a knife with a handle made from fossil walrus ivory, this type of ivory is less slippery than elephant ivory, so it's better to use in gun or knife handles, as is often the case.
Narwhal: Everyone has probably pictures seen these unicorn-like horns, but did you know they're a type a ivory? Narwhal horns can be very long, measuring anywhere from two to seven meters in length. These horns are particularly beautiful, as they curve in a graceful spiral, ending in a sharp tip.
Sperm and Killer Whales: As you could guess, sperm and killer whales have large teeth that are several inches in length. Up to 30 of sperm whale teeth are made of ivory, which have two layers and are hollow at parts. Both types of ivory have interesting patterns like a rosette for killer whales.
Elk: According to Montana Outdoors, elk ivory is in the form of teeth, but used to be outward-growing tusks on the faces of their ancestors. Both male and female elk have them, and keeping the two ivory teeth is a long-standing tradition in elk hunting.
Warthog: Warthog ivory is the upper and lower canine teeth. They're extremely curved and has a pretty mottled look to it.
Hornbill: Many hornbill species in southeastern Asia have beaks that resemble the outer horns of some ivory types. The casque, an upper part of the bill, is what is made of ivory, which is goldish in color. As with most other animals, hornbills have been hunted for their ivory bills, mostly to satisfy a demand from China and Japan, and the Helmeted Hornbill was a threatened species early in the 20th century. This type of ivory is less fine than that of elephants and takes more polish to shine.
Vegetable: Vegetable ivory mostly comes from tropical plants. One such species is literally called "elephant plant", or the ivory-nut palm. It comes from the seeds of the plant and is solid and hard, and is around the same the size as a hen's egg. It's relatively inexpensive but in the last 60 years it has been largely replaced by plastic.
Ivory is basically an animal tooth. Sometimes it appears on the outside of an animal, like on elephants, rhinos and narwhals. But other types are inside the animal's mouth. These are common in elk, sperm and killer whales and hippopotamuses. Below is a complete list of the ivory that is present in nature. Click the links to learn more!
Elephant/Mammoth: Elephant and mammoth ivory have been the most demanded type of ivory for many years. Partly because of the beautiful colors they display but mostly for the cultural significance they hold. Elephant ivory isn't a valuable material per se, especially not when compared to precious stones, but its cultural significance in Asia and the West has created a terrible fate for the species bearing them.
Rhinoceros: Rhinos suffer the same malady of elephants. Their ivory comes from the horns on their noses, but only white and black rhino species are hunted for their horns. Interestingly enough, rhino horns are not used as much for making trinkets or statues, but hold a medicinal value. Rhino horn powder is thought to have magical healing qualities in many African societies, which puts the creatures at risk.
Hippopotamus: Ivory from hippos comes from their lower canine teeth, which are curved. The size of the teeth depends on the hippo, but they're mostly used to make small, flat items like buttons.
Walrus: While walrus tusks are used only for small objects, they are very durable. According to Cincinnati resident Irving Laibson, who owns a knife with a handle made from fossil walrus ivory, this type of ivory is less slippery than elephant ivory, so it's better to use in gun or knife handles, as is often the case.
Narwhal: Everyone has probably pictures seen these unicorn-like horns, but did you know they're a type a ivory? Narwhal horns can be very long, measuring anywhere from two to seven meters in length. These horns are particularly beautiful, as they curve in a graceful spiral, ending in a sharp tip.
Sperm and Killer Whales: As you could guess, sperm and killer whales have large teeth that are several inches in length. Up to 30 of sperm whale teeth are made of ivory, which have two layers and are hollow at parts. Both types of ivory have interesting patterns like a rosette for killer whales.
Elk: According to Montana Outdoors, elk ivory is in the form of teeth, but used to be outward-growing tusks on the faces of their ancestors. Both male and female elk have them, and keeping the two ivory teeth is a long-standing tradition in elk hunting.
Warthog: Warthog ivory is the upper and lower canine teeth. They're extremely curved and has a pretty mottled look to it.
Hornbill: Many hornbill species in southeastern Asia have beaks that resemble the outer horns of some ivory types. The casque, an upper part of the bill, is what is made of ivory, which is goldish in color. As with most other animals, hornbills have been hunted for their ivory bills, mostly to satisfy a demand from China and Japan, and the Helmeted Hornbill was a threatened species early in the 20th century. This type of ivory is less fine than that of elephants and takes more polish to shine.
Vegetable: Vegetable ivory mostly comes from tropical plants. One such species is literally called "elephant plant", or the ivory-nut palm. It comes from the seeds of the plant and is solid and hard, and is around the same the size as a hen's egg. It's relatively inexpensive but in the last 60 years it has been largely replaced by plastic.
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