MAMMOTH TUSK (PART OF) WITH STAND - 10,000 to 40,000 years old - Siberia
« backPART OF A MAMMOTH TUSK
Includes a custom-made wood stand
10,000 to 40,000 years old
From the Permafrost in Yacutia, Siberia
A 22 centimetre long section of a tusk from a young woolly mammoth. At each end the concentric layers of ivory can be clearly seen.
Unlike the tusks of elephants, the tusks of the mammoth had a distinctive corkscrew twist. Tusks were probably used in fighting, and also in feeding as they are often found scratched or polished where they would have touched the ground. There was little snow in the cold, dry climate of Siberia at that time and tusks may have been useful to break ice to reach drinking water.
A mammoth’s tusk grew continuously throughout its life. At the base of the tusk, deep inside the skull, new tusk material was laid down in a cone-shaped pulp cavity. In cross section this appears as a series of concentric rings, laid down as annual and even weekly layers. These are like tree rings, except that the youngest layers are in the centre.
Unlike the tusks of elephants, the tusks of the mammoth had a distinctive corkscrew twist. Tusks were probably used in fighting, and also in feeding as they are often found scratched or polished where they would have touched the ground. There was little snow in the cold, dry climate of Siberia at that time and tusks may have been useful to break ice to reach drinking water.
A mammoth’s tusk grew continuously throughout its life. At the base of the tusk, deep inside the skull, new tusk material was laid down in a cone-shaped pulp cavity. In cross section this appears as a series of concentric rings, laid down as annual and even weekly layers. These are like tree rings, except that the youngest layers are in the centre.
This fossil has been treated with a preservative and is stable. However it is advisable to keep it away from sources of direct heat such as sunlight or a radiator.
Size: 22 centimetres long
and 6 centimetres diameter
Weight: 905 grams
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