Wang Lu/ChinaStock Photo Library

The material that makes up the tusks of elephants is a useful and valuable substance called ivory. It is also obtained from the hippopotamus, narwhal, walrus, and other animals whose teeth or tusks are prominent. Vast stores of fossil ivory are preserved in the frozen tundras of Siberia, Alaska, and other regions. Much of this ivory comes from the tusks of mammoths—elephantlike prehistoric animals.

In the ivory trade, elephant tusks are called teeth. This name is accurate, for the tusks are actually the elephant’s upper incisors. The tusks may grow to a length of 11 feet (3.3 meters) and may weigh 200 to 235 pounds (90 to 105 kilograms) apiece. The average weight of tusks in an ivory shipment rarely exceeds 55 to 60 pounds (25 to 28 kilograms). The bark, or exterior, of a tusk is often dark. The interior is white or cream-colored and has a beautiful grain. Because of its soft-toned, fine-grained texture and its elasticity, ivory is an especially good material for hand carving into figurines. It has been used for piano keys (sometimes called the “ivories”), combs, knife and umbrella handles, billiard balls, and similar objects. Laws protecting elephants from hunters and banning most international trade in ivory have reduced the amount of ivory used today. In addition, man-made plastics have largely replaced ivory for utilitarian purposes.

Vegetable ivory, a material resembling ivory, is obtained from the ivory nut palm, or tagua, native to tropical South America. This tree grows 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 meters) tall and has beautiful spreading leaves. White blossoms appear at the base of the leaves and develop into clusters of burrlike fruit. Each burr contains 15 to 100 nuts, called corozo, or tagua, nuts. The nuts are used to make buttons. Naturally almost white, the material takes dye well and can be polished.