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Elephas Ekorensis
''Elephas ekorensis'' is an extinct species of elephant. Fossils have been found in East Africa dating as far back as the Early Pliocene age, between 5 and 4.2 million years ago. It is the earliest species placed in the genus ''Elephas''.Sanders, William & Haile-Selassie, Yohannes. (2011). A New Assemblage of Mid-Pliocene Proboscideans from the Woranso-Mille Area, Afar Region, Ethiopia: Taxonomic, Evolutionary, and Paleoecological Considerations. Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 19. 10.1007/s10914-011-9181-y. It has been suggested to have been a grazer or mixed feeder (both browsing and grazing). Its placement in the genus of ''Elephas'' has been questioned, as the teeth are similar to those of the contemporaneous ''Loxodonta adaurora ''Loxodonta adaurora'' is an extinct species of elephant in the genus '' Loxodonta'', that of the African elephants. Fossils of ''Loxodonta adaurora'' have only been found in Africa, where they developed in the Pliocene. ''L. adaurora'' was pr . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58See the 2014 version of the ICS geologic time scale million years ago. It is the second and most recent epoch of the Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch. Prior to the 2009 revision of the geologic time scale, which placed the fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. The order was formerly much more diverse during the Pleistocene, but most species became extinct during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk is used for breathing, 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. Elepha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Pliocene
Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia Other uses * ''Early'' (Scritti Politti album), 2005 * ''Early'' (A Certain Ratio album), 2002 * Early (name) * Early effect, an effect in transistor physics * Early Records Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ..., a record label * the early part of the morning See also * Earley (other) {{disambiguation, geo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephas
''Elephas'' is one of two surviving genera in the family of elephants, Elephantidae, with one surviving species, the Asian elephant, ''Elephas maximus''. Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to the genus, extending back to the Pliocene era. While formerly assigned to this genus, '' Elephas recki'', the straight-tusked elephant ''E. antiquus'' and the dwarf elephants '' E. falconeri'' and '' E. cypriotes'' are now placed in the separate genus '' Palaeoloxodon''. The genus is very closely related to the genus ''Mammuthus''. Taxonomy The scientific name ''Elephas'' was proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 who described the genus and an elephant from Ceylon. The genus is assigned to the proboscidean family Elephantidae and is made up of one living and seven extinct species:Maglio, V.J. (1973). "Origin and evolution of the Elephantidae". ''Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia Volume 63''. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grazing (behaviour)
Grazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on low-growing plants such as grasses or other multicellular organisms, such as algae. Many species of animals can be said to be grazers, from large animals such as hippopotamuses to small aquatic snails. Grazing behaviour is a type of feeding strategy within the ecology of a species. Specific grazing strategies include graminivory (eating grasses); coprophagy (producing part-digested pellets which are reingested); pseudoruminant (having a multi-chambered stomach but not chewing the cud); and grazing on plants other than grass, such as on marine algae. Grazing's ecological effects can include redistributing nutrients, keeping grasslands open or favouring a particular species over another. Ecology Many small selective herbivores follow larger grazers which skim off the highest, tough growth of grasses, exposing tender shoots. For terrestrial animals, grazing is normally distinguished from browsing in that grazing is eat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Browsing (herbivory)
Browsing is a type of herbivory in which a herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growing, generally woody plants such as shrubs. This is contrasted with grazing, usually associated with animals feeding on grass or other lower vegetations. Alternatively, grazers are animals eating mainly grass, and browsers are animals eating mainly non-grasses, which include both woody and herbaceous dicots. In either case, an example of this dichotomy are goats (which are primarily browsers) and sheep (which are primarily grazers). Browse The plant material eaten is known as ''browse'' and is in nature taken directly from the plant, though owners of livestock such as goats and deer may cut twigs or branches for feeding to their stock. In temperate regions, owners take browse before leaf fall, then dry and store it as a winter feed supplement. In time of drought, herdsmen may cut branches from beyond the reach of their stock, as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loxodonta Adaurora
''Loxodonta adaurora'' is an extinct species of elephant in the genus '' Loxodonta'', that of the African elephants. Fossils of ''Loxodonta adaurora'' have only been found in Africa, where they developed in the Pliocene. ''L. adaurora'' was presumed to be the genetic antecedent of the two modern African elephant species; however, an analysis in 2009 suggested that '' L. africana ''evolved from '' L. atlantica''.The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology Volume 293, Issue 1, Article first published online: 20 NOV 2009: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.21010/pdf, retrieved 2 December 2011. The same study concluded that ''Loxodonta adaurora'' was morphologically indistinguishable from ''Mammuthus subplanifrons ''Mammuthus subplanifrons'', the South African Mammoth, is the oldest representative of the genus ''Mammuthus'', appearing around 5 million years ago during the early Pliocene in what is today South Africa and countries of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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