Editing Ivory (section)

===Alternatives===
====Fossil mammoth tusks====
Trade in the ivory from the tusks of dead [[woolly mammoth]]s frozen in the [[tundra]] has occurred for 300 years and continues to be legal{{Where|date=June 2024}}. Mammoth ivory is used today to make handcrafted knives and similar implements. Mammoth ivory is rare and costly because mammoths have been extinct for millennia, and scientists are hesitant to sell museum-worthy specimens in pieces.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/world/europe/25iht-mammoth.4.11415717.html|title=Trade in mammoth ivory, helped by global thaw, flourishes in Russia|newspaper=New York Times|date=2008-03-25|access-date=2017-11-03|first=Andrew E.|last=Kramer}}</ref> Some estimates suggest that 10 or more million mammoths are still buried in Siberia.<ref>{{cite book|title=Mammoths: giants of the ice age |last1=Lister|first1=Adrian|first2=Paul G.|last2=Bahn|year=2007|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-25319-3}}</ref>

====Fossil walrus ivory====
Fossil [[walrus ivory]] from animals that died before 1972 is legal to buy and sell in the United States, unlike many other types of ivory.<ref>{{citation|title=Walrus ivory dos and don'ts|publisher=US Fish and Wildlife Service|type=pamphlet|url=https://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/mmm/mtrp/pdf/factsheets/walrus_ivory_do_dont.pdf|access-date=2017-06-19|archive-date=2017-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526210032/https://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/mmm/mtrp/pdf/factsheets/walrus_ivory_do_dont.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Elk Ivory ====
The ancestors of elk had teeth, also known as elk ivory, that protruded outwards, similar to animals that have tusks. These served as protection from predators, and for asserting dominance during the mating season. These elk once had much smaller antlers compared to the size of modern day species’ antlers. Elk antlers evolved to become bigger and the use of their tusks diminished as antlers grew, thus evolving towards a smaller size over time, making them nothing more than teeth in their mouths.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 5 Fascinating Facts About Elk You Probably Didn't Know |url=https://www.beckandbulow.com/blogs/elk-meat/facts-about-elk |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Beck & Bulow |language=en}}</ref>

These teeth have the same chemical compound as the ivory found in the highly used and poached elephant tusks,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ten Things That Might Surprise You About Elk |url=https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/ten-things-that-might-surprise-your-about-elk |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.nationalforests.org |language=en}}</ref> making it another good alternative when it comes to taking ivory as the teeth can be possibly removed without harming the elk themselves.

Among [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] and [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] in elk range, primarily within the [[Great Plains]], [[Rocky Mountains]], and [[Pacific Northwest]], elk teeth has major significance when it comes to jewelry. Among women, men wore them as well. Either through bracelets, earrings, and chokers, there was deeper meaning for both men and women within the tribes. For the women, it was believed that it would bring in good luck and good health. As for the men, it was seen that they were a good hunter.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Horowitz |first=Ellen |date=September–October 2012 |title=Rocky Mountain Ivory |url=https://fwp.mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/fwp/montana-outdoors/2012/ivories.pdf |magazine=Montana Outdoors |pages=16–19}}</ref>

====Synthetic ivory====
Ivory can also be produced synthetically.<ref name="mdpi.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-01-lab-grown-horns-tusks-poachingor.html|title=Lab-grown horns and tusks could stop poaching—or not|website=phys.org|date=24 January 2018|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Bio-Inspired Synthetic Ivory as a Sustainable Material for Piano Keys|journal=Sustainability|publisher=Cornwell University|date=13 December 2019|doi=10.3390/su11236538|arxiv=1912.06481|doi-access=free|last1=Fischer|first1=Dieter|last2=Parks|first2=Sarah|last3=Mannhart|first3=Jochen|volume=11|issue=23|page=6538}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/faking-elephant-ivory-180963226/|title=Appalled by the Illegal Trade in Elephant Ivory, a Biologist Decided to Make His Own|publisher=Smithsonian Magazine|date=10 May 2017|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Synthetic ivory fails to stop illegal trade|journal=Nature|date=5 March 2014|doi=10.1038/507040a |last1=Zhou |first1=Zhao-Min |volume=507 |issue=7490 |page=40 |pmid=24598629 |s2cid=12301652 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

====Nuts====
A species of hard nut is gaining popularity as a replacement for ivory, although its size limits its usability. It is sometimes called [[vegetable ivory]], or tagua, and is the [[seed]] [[endosperm]] of the [[ivory nut palm]] commonly found in coastal [[rainforest]]s of [[Ecuador]], [[Peru]] and [[Colombia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/26/vegivory/index.html|author=Lara Farrar|agency=CNN|title=Could plant ivory save elephants?|date=2005-04-26|access-date=2017-11-03}}</ref>