What is elephants tusks used for

In more modern times we are all familiar with ivory's continued use as piano keys until very recently; Steinway only discontinued its ivory keys in What do many of these things have in common? Today we make them out of plastic, but for thousands of years, ivory was among the best, if not the very best, option -- the plastic of the preth-century world.

For some of these items piano keys being the most prominent example we didn't have a comparable alternative until very recently. Walker writes:. Synthetic polymers had been in widespread use on keyboards since the s but found few fans among serious pianists. In the s Yamaha developed Ivorite, made from casein milk protein and an inorganic hardening compound, which was trumpeted as having both the moisture-absorbing quality of ivory and greater durability.

Unfortunately some of the first keyboards cracked and yellowed, requiring refitting with a reformulated veneer. Clearly there was room for improvement. In the project's team created and patented an unusual polymer -- RPlvory -- that more closely duplicated the microscopically random peaks and valleys on the surface of ivory that allow pianists' fingers to stick or slip at will. That usefulness, combined with its warm luster and its receptivity to engravings, meant that it gained stature as a luxury good from the get-go.

China's demand for ivory today shows the staying power of a luxury symbol, even if a substance's inherent qualities have been superseded by new materials. Where does that leave the elephants of Garamba National Park, their poachers, the smugglers, and a rising China? Is there a way to remarry ivory's cultural significance to its material one, to instill the idea that ivory is nothing more than an animal's tooth?

Evidence suggests that elephants normally prefer one tusk over the other, similar to being left or right handed in humans. The preferred tusk is known as the master tusk. Ivory poaching for tusks is the main reason that elephants have been so heavily hunted.

Elephant ivory has been used in huge amounts to make billiards balls, piano keys, identification chops and many other items for human enjoyment. Although hunting for ivory has been much more severe in Africa, there is no doubt that hunting and poaching has had an effect on the elephant numbers in Asia. Poaching does still take place, but in most of the Asian elephants ranges it is under control. Unable to display Facebook posts.

Show error. What is a tusk? Thanks to protection from the president of Kenya at the time, Ahmed got to live out his life in full, dying of old age in Sadly this is not the case for many elephants. Humans have long been attracted to the beautiful tusks of elephants. Ivory remains one of the most highly prized materials in the natural world.

Those targeted are often the oldest and largest animals — because they have the biggest and therefore most valuable tusks. This is not only tragic for individual animals, but also for the wider elephant population , as the oldest and wisest elephants play a key leadership role in elephant society. In fact, we conducted experiments showing that the oldest elephant matriarchs — the female leaders of the family groups — were much better than younger matriarchs at distinguishing more dangerous male lions from female lions using just the sound of their roars.

Now, these elephants are likely to be at an advantage as they are much less likely to be targeted by poachers. A greater chance of surviving and breeding might explain why these tuskless animals have become more common in the population. Studies are underway to determine whether that is the case.

The good news, however, is that when protected and given space to roam, elephant populations can flourish. There are many excellent conservation projects across Africa and Asia working hard to ensure that elephants — and their tusks — are a part of the natural world for many years to come. Indeed, by greatly reducing the number of elephants killed for their ivory, we can protect remaining populations, and potentially halt, or even reverse, the decline in tusk size.

Who knows, maybe there is a young elephant in Africa who is destined to one day rival Ahmed and his mighty tusks.