# Piano Q: Ebony and Ivory?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piano-q-ebony-and-ivory/140588>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 5, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piano-q-ebony-and-ivory/140588 "2002-12-05T01:22:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piano-q-ebony-and-ivory/140588/21 "2002-12-06T15:25:51Z")

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I believed that ebony wood was banned too due to deforesting and the rarity of these trees? Did I just imagine that?  
It seems to me that apart from mammoth, sea lion ivory is used too. Am I right?  
Also, I was under the impression that the trade of elephant ivory was banned even when the elephant had been killed legally, because a total ban is easier to enforce than having to trace back the origin of the ivory used. I vaguely remember that this issue was debated at some point during some international conference, since some countries wanted to be able to sell the ivory of elephants killed in order to regulate the population. Does someone know?

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**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piano-q-ebony-and-ivory/140588/22 "2002-12-06T15:38:05Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by clairobscur \*  
> \*\*It seems to me that apart from mammoth, sea lion ivory is used too. Am I right? \*\*

Sea lions’ teeth aren’t big enough, and [walrus ivory](http://members.aol.com/Mbscrim/MTLS.HTM) seems to be in a similar catergory as elephant ivory. Perhaps hippopotamus teeth are a possibility?

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piano-q-ebony-and-ivory/140588/23 "2002-12-06T15:46:27Z")

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Geez. Next you people will be on to fossilised _Desmostylian_ teeth. I’m getting worried here. I need these teeth.😉

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piano-q-ebony-and-ivory/140588/24 "2002-12-06T23:24:46Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by everton \*  
> \*\*Sea lions’ teeth aren’t big enough, and [walrus ivory](http://members.aol.com/Mbscrim/MTLS.HTM) seems to be in a similar catergory as elephant ivory. Perhaps hippopotamus teeth are a possibility? \*\*

Actually, I meant walrus. I didn’t use the correct english word.

But what about Asian elephant? Have they no tusks at all? Don’t have they at least tusks larger than an hippopotamus tooth?

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**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piano-q-ebony-and-ivory/140588/25 "2002-12-07T00:30:30Z")

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Male Asian elephants have tusks, smaller than as African ones, but they can grow much larger than hippo tusks. They’re subject to the same trading restrictions as African elephants however. In fact, although I can’t find a cite I did read that the size of tusks of all elephants is shrinking generation by generation.

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