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Elephantidae
Elephantidae is a family (biology), family of large, herbivorous proboscidean mammals which includes the living Elephant, elephants (belonging to the genera ''Elephas'' and ''Loxodonta''), as well as a number of extinct genera like ''Mammuthus'' (mammoths) and ''Palaeoloxodon''. They are large terrestrial animal, terrestrial mammals with a snout modified into a Elephant#Trunk, trunk and teeth modified into tusks. Most Genus, genera and species in the family are extinction, extinct. The family was first described by John Edward Gray in 1821, and later assigned to taxonomic ranks within the order Proboscidea. Elephantidae has been revised by various authors to include or exclude other extinct proboscidean genera. Description Elephantids are distinguished from more basal proboscideans like gomphotheres by their teeth, which have parallel lophs, formed from the merger of the cusps found in the teeth of more basal proboscideans, which are bound by cementum. In later elephantids, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gomphotheres
Gomphotheres are an extinct group of proboscideans related to modern Elephant, elephants. First appearing in Africa during the Oligocene, they dispersed into Eurasia and North America during the Miocene and arrived in South America during the Pleistocene as part of the Great American Interchange. Gomphotheres are a Paraphyly, paraphyletic group ancestral to Elephantidae, which contains modern elephants, as well as Stegodontidae. While most famous forms such as ''Gomphotherium'' had long lower jaws with tusks, the Plesiomorphy and symplesiomorphy, ancestral condition for the group, some later members developed shortened (brevirostrine) lower jaws with either vestigial or no lower tusks and outlasted the long-jawed gomphotheres. This change made them look very similar to modern elephants, an example of parallel evolution. During the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene, the diversity of gomphotheres declined, ultimately becoming extinct outside of the Americas. The last two genera, ''Cuv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gomphothere
Gomphotheres are an extinct group of proboscideans related to modern elephants. First appearing in Africa during the Oligocene, they dispersed into Eurasia and North America during the Miocene and arrived in South America during the Pleistocene as part of the Great American Interchange. Gomphotheres are a paraphyletic group ancestral to Elephantidae, which contains modern elephants, as well as Stegodontidae. While most famous forms such as '' Gomphotherium'' had long lower jaws with tusks, the ancestral condition for the group, some later members developed shortened (brevirostrine) lower jaws with either vestigial or no lower tusks and outlasted the long-jawed gomphotheres. This change made them look very similar to modern elephants, an example of parallel evolution. During the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene, the diversity of gomphotheres declined, ultimately becoming extinct outside of the Americas. The last two genera, '' Cuvieronius'' ranging southern North America to weste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proboscidean
Proboscidea (; , ) is a taxonomic order of afrotherian mammals containing one living family (Elephantidae) and several extinct families. First described by J. Illiger in 1811, it encompasses the elephants and their close relatives. Three living species of elephant are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. Extinct members of Proboscidea include the deinotheres, mastodons, gomphotheres and stegodonts. The family Elephantidae also contains several extinct groups, including mammoths and ''Palaeoloxodon''. Proboscideans include some of the largest known land mammals, with the elephant '' Palaeoloxodon namadicus'' and mastodon ''"Mammut" borsoni'' suggested to have body masses surpassing , rivalling or exceeding paraceratheres (the otherwise largest known land mammals) in size. The largest extant proboscidean is the African bush elephant, with a world record of size of at the shoulder and . In addition to their eno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus''). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are scatter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabiting Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Mammoths are distinguished from living elephants by their (typically large) spirally twisted tusks and in some later species, the development of numerous adaptions to living in cold environments, including a thick layer of fur. Mammoths and Asian elephants are more closely related to each other than they are to African elephants. The oldest mammoth representative, '' Mammuthus subplanifrons'', appeared around 6 million years ago during the late Miocene in what is now southern and Eastern Africa.'''' Later in the Pliocene, by about three million years ago, mammoths dispersed into Eurasia, eventually covering most of Eurasia before migrating into North America around 1.5–1.3 million year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephas
''Elephas'' is a genus of elephants and one of two surviving genera in the Family (biology), family Elephantidae, comprising one extant species, the Asian elephant (''E. maximus''). Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to the genus, extending back to the Pliocene or possibly the late Miocene. Description Species of ''Elephas'' have distinct bossing of the parieto-occipital region of the skull. The premaxillae bones containing the tusks are tapered. Evolutionary history Relationships of living and extinct elephantids based on DNA, after Palkopoulou et al. 2018.Asian elephants share a closer common ancestry with mammoths (genus ''Mammuthus'') than they do with African elephants (''Loxodonta''). The oldest species attributed to the genus ''Elephas'' is ''E. nawataensis'' from the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene of Kenya, though the validity of this species and its relationship to ''Elephas'' has been doubted. The oldest species widely attributed to the genus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Bush Elephant
The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana''), also known as the African savanna elephant, is a species of elephant native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of three extant elephant species and, along with the African forest elephant, one of two extant species of African elephant. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with fully grown bulls reaching an average shoulder height of and a body mass of ; the largest recorded specimen had a shoulder height of and an estimated body mass of . The African bush elephant is characterised by its long prehensile trunk with two finger-like processes; a convex back; large ears which help reduce body heat; and sturdy tusks that are noticeably curved. The skin is grey with scanty hairs, and bending cracks which support thermoregulation by retaining water. The African bush elephant inhabits a variety of habitats such as forests, grasslands, woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land. It is a mixed herbivore feeding mostly on grasse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palaeoloxodon
''Palaeoloxodon'' is an extinct genus of elephant. The genus originated in Africa during the Early Pleistocene, and expanded into Eurasia at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. The genus contains the largest known species of elephants, with mature bulls over tall at the shoulders and over in weight, representing among the largest land mammals ever, including the African '' Palaeoloxodon recki'', the European straight-tusked elephant (''Palaeoloxodon antiquus'') and the South Asian '' Palaeoloxodon namadicus. P. namadicus'' has been suggested to be the largest known land mammal by some authors based on extrapolation from fragmentary remains, though these estimates are highly speculative. In contrast, the genus also contains many species of dwarf elephants that evolved via insular dwarfism on islands in the Mediterranean, some like '' Palaeoloxodon falconeri'' less than in shoulder height as fully grown adults, making them the smallest elephants known. The genus has a long ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetralophodon
''Tetralophodon'' ("four-ridged tooth") is an extinct genus of "tetralophodont gomphothere" belonging to the superfamily Elephantoidea, known from the Miocene of Afro-Eurasia. Taxonomy and evolution The genus ''Tetralophodon'' (meaning "four-ridged tooth") was named in the mid-19th century with the discovery of the specialized teeth. ''Tetralophodon'' is suggested to have descended from the "trilophodont gomphothere" ''Gomphotherium.'' "Tetralophodont gomphotheres" like ''Tetralophodon'' are thought to be ancestral to Elephantidae, elephantids and Stegodontidae, stegodontids,'''' with African species of ''Tetralophodon'' suggested to be the ancestor of elephantids. ''Tetralophodon'' is also suggested to be the ancestor of the fellow "tetralophodont gomphothere" ''Anancus''. Description A large individual of the European species ''T. longirostris'' is suggested to have been tall at the shoulder and up to 10 tonnes in weight. The first and second molar teeth are tetralophodont (b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
