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A hoard of more than 100 elephant tusks aboard a sunken ship that was lost for nearly 500 years has been traced to West Africa in a new study. Scientists used DNA analysis to compare the well-preserved tusks – recovered from a 16th century Portuguese shipping vessel called the Bom Jesus that was discovered in 2008 – to those belonging to various species of modern-day elephants. The 500-year-old ivory matched up with the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), which is native to humid forests in West Africa and Congo Basin.  Traders aboard the ill-fated shipping vessel would have maimed the species on the West coast of Africa in their attempts to flog the creatures ivory in India – before the ship sank and the traders perished at sea. 

De beersFree stateSouth africaDemocratic republic of the congoBas congoUniversity of cape townWestern capeSkeleton coastNamibia generalBom jesusAshley coutuAlfred rocaShadreck chirikureDieter noliUniversity of oxford pitt rivers museumUniversity of illinois at urbana champaign