An interesting aspect of living out in the woods is that you often come across some interesting tall tales and facts. One of the facts that I have found most interesting is that elk likely had large tusks at some point in the ancient past that would resemble something like a warthog.
Though hard to imagine an elk with huge antlers AND fangs... it apparently isn’t too hard to conceive. This evolution is evidenced by the fact that elk, both bull and cows, have a set of canine teeth that are made of ivory, which puts them in the same class as elephants, warthogs, and a few other animals that naturally make ivory.
Whether hunting or walking in the woods, if you come across an elk skull it’s worth looking at the jaw to see if there are still some ivories inside that you could pull out... After you clean them in some hydrogen peroxide, they turn into a really cool souvenir that can be used as jewelry, belt hooks, cufflinks, or other projects.
