In 2008, diamond miners in southern Namibia uncovered ship’s timbers, rapidly followed by cannons, ingots of copper, lead and tin, ivory, gold and silver coins, and more. Mining operations were halted and archaeologists called in to salvage as much as possible. We now know that this is almost certainly the wreck of the Bom Jesus, a Portuguese caravel lost in 1533 on its way to India.  Among the finds recovered from the wreck were over 100 unworked elephant tusks. Analytical studies of these tusks (using stable isotopes and ancient DNA) show that they came from West African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), but mostly from animals living in savanna (rather than deep forest) habitats. This provides new information about the co-existence of different species of elephants at a time before intensive hunting pressure decimated West African herds. DNA in the archaeological tusks is much more diverse than in modern forest elephants, because of population decline. Further studies of the cargo remain to be done, providing a window into the formative stages of maritime exchanges that linked Europe, Africa and Asia.