''Eritreum melakeghebrekristosi'' is an extinct species of proboscidean mammal, which lived in

Northeast Africa Northeast Africa, or ''Northeastern Africa'' or Northern East Africa as it was known in the past, is a geographic regional term used to refer to the countries of Africa situated in and around the Red Sea. The region is intermediate between North ...

during the late Oligocene some 27 million years ago, and is considered to be the missing link between modern elephants and their ancestors. The

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s of this species are the oldest known fossils featuring the horizontal tooth displacement seen in modern elephants. The species is estimated to have weighed and stood about at the shoulder, much smaller than modern species. The generic name ''Eritreum'' comes from Eritrea, the country in the Horn of Africa where the specimen was discovered. The specific name ''melakeghebrekristosi'' honors Melake Ghebrekristos, the farmer who found the specimen.

References

* Elephantiformes Oligocene proboscideans Prehistoric placental genera Oligocene mammals of Africa Fossil taxa described in 2006 Taxa named by Michael Abraha {{paleo-proboscidean-stub