The Mammoth genus is an extinct group of animals that are closely related to the modern elephants. They are believed to have originated in Africa. It made it's way into Asia, Europe, and North America. Many of the species found in northern regions evolved to have long thick hair to tolerate the freezing weather. Mammoths lived between approximately 4 million years and 4,000 years ago. The last of the mammoths died out during the last ice age.

Today, the remains of Mammoths are found throughout the northern regions of Russia, Europe, and Alaska. During the very short summer season, the snow melts away enough to partially expose parts of buried tusks and sometimes even complete skeletons. You may remember a show on the Discovery Channel a few years back, Raising the Mammoth, where a team excavated a complete mammoth that had been frozen for thousands of years.

The mammoth ivory used to make the netsuke and other ivory items we sell on our site originate in Siberia.

Help us help others by voting for this guide. Click on Yes below if you would recommend it to others.