This photo shows Raw elephant tusks from the 16th century Bon Jesus shipwreck. (Credit: National Museum of Namibia)
(CN) A Portuguese trading ship named the Bon Jesus sank off the southern coast of Africa in 1533, loaded to the gills with gold, silver and ivory and it’s proven a real treasure trove to scientists.
On its way to India when it went down, and discovered only in 2008, researchers have scoured the ship’s remains to learn what they can about 16th century trade routes and the elephants from whom its ivory was poached.
An international team from Namibia, South Africa, the U.K. and the US collaborated to investigate the remains of the shipwreck. They traced the DNA contained in over 100 raw ivory tusks to determine exactly where the elephants originated, which turned out to be a bit of a surprise. The team released their findings in a study published Thursday in the journal Cell Press.