In Depth The type genus of the Gomphotheriidae, Gomphotherium is quite a bizarre prehistoric elephant that is quite different from the ones that we know today. Gomphotherium still had two tusks protruding down from the upper jaw, but they were recurved, which means that they gently curved towards the body rather than away like in … Read more
In Depth Further Reading Further reading- The Dance of Tusks: Rediscovery of Lower Incisors in the Pan-American Proboscidean Cuvieronius hyodon Revises Incisor Evolution in Elephantimorpha. – PLOS ONE. – Dimila Moth�, Marco P. Ferretti, Leonardo S. Avilla & S. Leonardo – 2016.
In Depth Further Reading – An Account of Elephants Teeth and Bones Found under Ground. – Philosophical Transactions 35 (399–406): 457–471. – H. Sloane – 1727-1728. Of Fossile Teeth and Bones of Elephants. Part the Second. – Philosophical Transactions 35 – (399–406): 497–514. – H. Sloane – 1727-1728. – A Letter from John Phil. Breyne, … Read more
In Depth Although the name Deinotherium translates to mean ‘Terrible beast’, this definition somewhat belies the true nature of Deinotherium as a prehistoric elephant. Compared to today’s living elephants however, Deinotherium is the type genus of the more distantly related group called the deinotheres. Deinotherium remains one of the largest elephants in the fossil record, … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Tooth morphology of Mammuthus meridionalis from the Southern bight of the North Sea and from several localities in the Netherlands – Hans van Essen – 2003. – Mammuthus meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) from Campo di Pile (L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Central Italy) – S. Agostini, M.R. Palombo M.A. Rossi, E. Di Canzio & … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – North American Proboscideans: Mammoths: The state of Knowledge, 2003. Quaternary International. 126-128: 73–25. – Larry D. Agenbroad. – Advances in proboscidean taxonomy & classification, anatomy & physiology, and ecology & behavior. – Quaternary International. 126–128: 5. – J. Shoshani & P. Tassy – 2005. – Columbian mammoth petroglyphs from the … Read more
In Depth Sinomastodon is a genus of elephant that lived in Asia between the Miocene and early Pleistocene. Further Reading - Mastodons (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the LateNeogene and Early Pleistocene of the People’s Republic of China. - HistoricalAccount. Mainzer geowiss, mitt., 15, pp. 119–181. - H. Tobien, G. F. Chen & Y. Q. Li - … Read more
In Depth Konobelodon is a genus of amebelodont that lived across much of the world during the Miocene. Further Reading - Rediagnosis of the Genus Amebelodon (Mammalia, Proboscidea, Gomphotheriidae), with a New Subgenus and Species, Amebelodon (Konobelodon) britti. - Journal of Paleontology 64(6):1032-1040. - W. D. Lambert - 1990. - The Eurasian occurrence of the … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – The Pleistocene elephants of Santa Rosa Island, California. – Science 68 (1754): 140–141. – Chester Stock & E. L. Furlong – 1928. – Giant Island/Pygmy Mammoths:The Late Pleistocene Prehistory of Channel Islands National Park. – National Park Service Paleontological Research 4: 35–39. – Larry D. Agenbroad & Don P. Morris … Read more
In Depth A relative to other gomphothere elephants like Gomphotherium and Ambelodon, Platybelodon also had a pair of forward facing tusks in the lower jaw that were shaped into a form of shovel-like structure. Like with its relatives, it is believed that Platybelodon used these tusks as feeding aids for uprooting plants and stripping bark. … Read more