Study tracks elephant tusks from 16th century shipwreck

Study tracks elephant tusks from 16th century shipwreck
Study tracks elephant tusks from 16th century shipwreck

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In 1533, the Bom Jesus – a Portuguese trading vessel carrying 40 tons of cargo including gold, silver, copper and more than 100 elephant tusks – sank off the coast of Africa near present-day Namibia. The wreck was found in 2008, and Department of Animal Sciences researchers say they now have determined the source of much of the ivory recovered from the ship.

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