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Mammutidae is an extinct family of proboscideans that appeared during the Oligocene epoch and survived until the start of the Holocene. The family was first described in 1922, classifying fossil specimens of the type genus ''Mammut'' ( mastodons), and has since been placed in various arrangements of the order. The name "mastodon" derives from
Since the 18th century several fossils have been found in different regions of Venezuela; the first one of these fossils was reviewed by Alexander von Humboldt.
In August 2008, miners in
''USA Today'', 2008-08-08, Retrieved on 11 August 2008 Ninety percent of the skeleton's bones were intact, with damage to the skull and tusks. In 2009, a family in Portland, Michigan, unearthed mastodon bones while excavating a new pond on their property. It is one of around 250 mastodons found in Michigan over the past century. The first excavation to discover mastodon fossils in Elmacık village in Burdur province, Turkey, took place in 2006. As of July 2009, six mastodon fossils have been discovered in the village. In August 2011, a skeleton of a mastodon was found near
Greek
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Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
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**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, "nipple" and "tooth", as with the genus, referring to a characteristic that distinguishes them from allied families. The genus '' Zygolophodon'' has also been assigned to this family. Mammutids ranged very widely, with fossils found in North America, Africa, and throughout Eurasia.
Discoveries
Since the 18th century several fossils have been found in different regions of Venezuela; the first one of these fossils was reviewed by Alexander von Humboldt.
In August 2008, miners in Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
unearthed the skeleton of a 2.5-million-year-old mastodon, believed to be one of the best preserved in Europe.2.5 million-year-old mastodon unearthed in Romania''USA Today'', 2008-08-08, Retrieved on 11 August 2008 Ninety percent of the skeleton's bones were intact, with damage to the skull and tusks. In 2009, a family in Portland, Michigan, unearthed mastodon bones while excavating a new pond on their property. It is one of around 250 mastodons found in Michigan over the past century. The first excavation to discover mastodon fossils in Elmacık village in Burdur province, Turkey, took place in 2006. As of July 2009, six mastodon fossils have been discovered in the village. In August 2011, a skeleton of a mastodon was found near
Tomislavgrad
Tomislavgrad (), also known by its former name Duvno (), is a town and municipality located in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It mainly covers an area of the historical and geographica ...
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In November 2011, a mastodon skeleton was unearthed in Daytona Beach, Florida, during construction of a retention pond. The find is being studied by the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences.
Evolution
It has been traditionally assumed that mammutids are the most basal group within Elephantimorpha, with gomphotheres being more closely related to elephants. However recent molecular and morphological evidence suggests that trilophodont gomphotheres and mammutids are more closely related to each other than they are to elephants.References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13424536 Mastodons Miocene first appearances Prehistoric mammal families nl:Mastodont