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Stable isotope analysis may help forensic specialists distinguish mammoth ivory from elephant ivory, but it is a laboratory screening method—not a legal certificate. A 2025 study found no overlap in hydrogen isotope values among the 79 objects it examined, while oxygen values offered additional separation with some overlap. The method requires a small powder sample and specialist mass spectrometry, so it is not non-destructive. The study’s findings are promising, not a universal accuracy guarantee.
Why it can be hard to identify worked ivory
Mammoth and elephant ivory can be difficult to distinguish after carving or other processing. That ambiguity creates a route for illegal elephant ivory to be described or disguised as mammoth ivory. Professor Adrian Lister of the Natural History Museum has warned that this practice compromises efforts to stop elephant-ivory trade. The museum’s account of the issue describes Raman spectroscopy as one non-destructive approach being investigated.
What stable isotope analysis measures
Stable isotope analysis (SIA) measures the relative abundance of isotopes—forms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons—in a sample. Those ratios can reflect environmental conditions incorporated into the material as it formed. They are not a visual feature that can be read reliably from a finished carving; specialists measure them in a laboratory and interpret them against reference material.
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In a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution on 24 June 2025, Santos and colleagues examined 79 objects: 44 identified as elephant ivory and 35 as mammoth ivory. The elephant objects came from seizures by Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Mammoth samples came from Siberian carvers and objects from markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The precise geographic origins and species identification of the mammoth material were not known. The paper reports measurements of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur isotope ratios.
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What the 2025 study found—and what it did not
Hydrogen isotope values (δ²H) separated the elephant and mammoth objects in this sample set without overlap. Oxygen values (δ¹⁸O) also helped distinguish the groups, although two elephant samples fell within the mammoth oxygen-value range. The authors therefore recommend a multi-element approach focused on hydrogen and oxygen rather than treating one measurement as decisive.
The first two principal components in the study’s statistical analysis accounted for more than 99% of the dataset’s total variance: δ²H contributed 96.9% and δ¹⁸O contributed 2.7%. Those figures describe how variation was distributed within these 79 objects; they are not a real-world classification accuracy or error rate. Although the study found statistically significant group differences for hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur, the carbon, nitrogen and sulfur measurements overlapped between groups, and nitrogen did not show a statistically significant difference.
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- Supported conclusion: hydrogen, supplemented by oxygen, was useful for separating the sampled groups.
- Not established: that the same separation will hold for every population, origin, object or laboratory, or that the method has a universal accuracy rate.
- Why caution matters: the sample set was modest, and the mammoth specimens’ precise origins and species identification were unknown. The authors also note that reference-database comparisons require attention to offsets discussed in prior literature.
What the isotope-testing process requires
The 2025 SIA protocol is destructive: a specialist drills a small amount of ivory powder from the object, cleans and dries the sample, then analyzes subsamples using elemental-analysis continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. The paper reports a minimum powder requirement of 5 mg. That is a small quantity, but it still means material must be removed; the study’s protocol should not be described as non-destructive.
The laboratory result is an isotope profile that needs interpretation against appropriate reference data. A measurement by itself does not establish the object’s full history, provenance or legal status. The study’s reported sample requirement is not a promise that every laboratory will accept the same amount or use an identical workflow.
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How SIA differs from other identification methods
Methods used in ivory investigations answer different questions. Stable isotopes can help distinguish the sampled species groups; DNA methods can identify species; and radiocarbon or related radionuclide measurements can help estimate age. A separate Raman spectroscopy approach has been described as non-destructive and able to produce a scan in a few minutes. That is a different technique from SIA, not a faster version of isotope testing.
| Method | Question it can address | Sampling and timing established in the cited sources |
|---|---|---|
| Stable isotope analysis | Can help separate mammoth and elephant ivory using isotope signatures, especially hydrogen and oxygen in the 2025 study. | Destructive powder sampling; the study reports a minimum of 5 mg and specialist mass spectrometry. No comparable end-to-end turnaround time or market price is stated in the study. |
| Raman spectroscopy | Can provide chemical-composition information used to distinguish ivory types. | The Natural History Museum describes the approach as non-destructive and says a single scan takes a few minutes. This is not an end-to-end service turnaround estimate. |
| DNA analysis | Can identify species; a research article reports distinguishing extant elephant ivory from mammoth ivory using a short cytochrome-b gene sequence. | The cited article does not establish a comparable sample amount, turnaround time or market price. |
| Radiocarbon and related radionuclide measurements | Can help estimate age; a 2018 paper describes combining radiocarbon with strontium-90 and thorium isotope measurements to address ambiguous age findings. | The cited paper does not establish a comparable sample amount, turnaround time or market price. |
These approaches should not be treated as interchangeable. Species identity, age and geographic provenance are distinct questions, and a useful result depends partly on how well reference material represents the specimen under examination. The sources cited here do not provide comparable prices or standard head-to-head turnaround estimates across methods.
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Sources: 2025 stable-isotope study; Natural History Museum account of Raman spectroscopy; 2018 study of radiocarbon and radionuclide measurements; study using a cytochrome-b sequence.
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No. A test that supports an identification or age estimate does not, on its own, show that an item was legally acquired or may legally be sold. Applicable rules depend on jurisdiction and transaction details, and may require documentation or authorization in addition to scientific evidence.
EU guidance recognizes radiocarbon dating or isotope analysis as possible supporting information for determining age or origin, but says that determining age is not sufficient by itself to prove legal acquisition. That is an EU-specific evidentiary point, not a summary of every country’s laws. Check the European Commission’s wildlife-trade guidance and the requirements of the jurisdiction governing the item and transaction.
Quick Recap
What a buyer, seller or investigator should do
- Do not treat appearance, a seller’s description or an isotope result alone as proof of lawful acquisition.
- If scientific identification is needed, ask a qualified laboratory or relevant authority which method suits the question—species, age or provenance—and whether it requires removing material.
- Ask how the result will be interpreted, what reference material is used, and whether the report is accepted for the intended legal or enforcement purpose.
- Confirm the applicable rules and documentation requirements with the responsible authority before buying, selling, importing or exporting ivory.
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