''Stegotetrabelodon'' is an extinct genus of primitive elephantid with gomphothere-like anatomical features from the Late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

to Early

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...

and the Arabian peninsula. The type species is ''S. syrticus'' of late Miocene Africa, which reached roughly in shoulder height and in weight. The other unequivocally recognized species is ''S. orbus'', also of late Miocene Africa. Other species outside of Africa are questionably placed in this genus, including teeth from Late Miocene

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

originally described as being of the '' Mastodon'' subgenus ''Bunolophodon'', Chinese specimens originally described as being also of ''Mastodon'', as well as of '' Tetralophodon'' and '' Stegodon'', and a species from the late Miocene-aged Dhok Pathan Formation in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, ''S. maluvalensis''.

Arabian Peninsula

In December 2006, a small contingent of Emirates Natural History Group members found several sets of proboscidean footprints thought to belong to ''Stegotetrabelodon'' preserved in a large calcareous exposure between the sand dunes of "Mleisa 1" in the Western Region of the

Emirate of Abu Dhabi The Emirate of Abu Dhabi (, , or ; ar, إِمَارَةْ أَبُوظَبِي , ) is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is by far the largest emirate, accounting for 87% of the nation's total land area ...

, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...

. The longest of these tracks extend for and .

References

* * Prehistoric elephants Miocene proboscideans Gomphotheres Prehistoric placental genera Miocene mammals of Africa Prehistoric mammals of Europe Miocene mammals of Asia Fossil taxa described in 1941 {{paleo-proboscidean-stub