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Eubelodon
''Eubelodon'' is an extinct genus of gomphothere (a family in the order Proboscidea, which also includes modern elephants) which lived in North America during the Miocene Epoch. It contains a single species: ''Eubelodon morrilli''. Description ''Eubelodon'' is considered to be a trilophodont gomphothere. It has the highly unusual combination of retaining a long lower jaw, but having lost the lower tusks, a combination only shared with fellow North American gomphothere ''Gnathabelodon'' and the choerolophodontid '' Choerolophodon.'' Fossil distribution Fossils are restricted to what is now the Great Plains of the United States. Remains were found in the Poison Ivy Quarry, Antelope, Brown County, Nebraska, and Tripp County, South Dakota. Taxonomy ''Eubelodon'' was named by Erwin Hinckly Barbour in 1914. It was synonymized subjectively with ''Trilophodon'' by Osborn in 1918 and again by Tobien in 1973 with '' Gomphotherium''. It was assigned to Gomphotheriidae by Erwin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eubelodon Cropped 2
''Eubelodon'' is an extinct genus of gomphothere (a family in the order Proboscidea, which also includes modern elephants) which lived in North America during the Miocene Epoch. It contains a single species: ''Eubelodon morrilli''. Description ''Eubelodon'' is considered to be a trilophodont gomphothere. It has the highly unusual combination of retaining a long lower jaw, but having lost the lower tusks, a combination only shared with fellow North American gomphothere ''Gnathabelodon'' and the choerolophodontid ''Choerolophodon.'' Fossil distribution Fossils are restricted to what is now the Great Plains of the United States. Remains were found in the Poison Ivy Quarry, Antelope, Brown County, Nebraska, and Tripp County, South Dakota. Taxonomy ''Eubelodon'' was named by Erwin Hinckly Barbour in 1914. It was synonymized subjectively with ''Trilophodon'' by Osborn in 1918 and again by Tobien in 1973 with ''Gomphotherium''. It was assigned to Gomphotheriidae by Erwin Barbou ... [...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] |
Gomphotheriidae
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 w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amebelodontidae
Amebelodontidae is an extinct family (biology), family of large herbivorous proboscidean mammals related to elephants. They were formerly assigned to Gomphotheriidae, but recent authors consider them a distinct family. They are distinguished from other proboscideans by having flattened lower tusks (leading to the nickname "shovel tuskers") and very elongate mandibular symphysis (the fused frontmost part of the lower jaw). The lower tusks could grow to considerable size, with those of ''Konobelodon'' reaching in length. Their molar teeth are typically trilophodont (with only ''Konobelodon'' being fully tetralophodont), and possessed posttrite conules. In the past, amebelodonts' shovel-like mandibular tusks led to them being portrayed scooping up water plants, however, dental microwear suggests that they were browsers and mixed feeders. The lower tusks have been proposed to have had a variety of functions depending on the species, including stripping bark, cutting through vegetation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhynchotherium
''Rhynchotherium'' is an extinct genus of proboscidea endemic to North America and Central America during the Miocene through Pliocene from 13.650 to 3.6 Annum, Ma, living for approximately . This gomphothere had two tusks and may have evolved from ''Gomphotherium''. Taxonomy ''Rhynchotherium'' was first described in 1868 on the basis of a lower jaw from the Miocene of Tlaxcala, Mexico. Later, the type species epithet ''R. tlascalae'' was erected for the jaw by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1918. In 1921, a gomphothere skull from the Mt. Eden area of southern California was described as a subspecies of ''Trilophodon shepardi'' (a now-defunct combination for ''Mastodon shepardi''), ''T. s. edensis'', but was subsequently reassigned to ''Rhynchotherium''. Other species subsequently assigned to ''Rhynchotherium'' included ''R. falconeri'', ''R. paredensis'', ''R. browni'', and ''R. simpsoni''. It was the closest relative to ''Cuvieronius'', and may be ancestral to it. Lucas and Morgan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proboscidea
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 thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stegomastodon
''Stegomastodon'' ('roof breast tooth') is an extinct genus of gomphotheres. It ranged throughout North America from the Pliocene (early Blancan ~4 Ma), to the Early Pleistocene (early Irvingtonian, ~1.2 Ma). The former South American species have been synonymized with '' Notiomastodon platensis''. Description ''Stegomastodon mirificus'' is known from NMNH 10707, a roughly 30-year-old male, of which most of the skeleton has been found. Alive, it stood about tall, with a weight around . Unlike more primitive gomphotheres like ''Gomphotherium'', it lacked lower tusks and had a shortened lower jaw. The upper tusks curved upward and were about long, and lacked enamel bands. The tall head and robust lower jaw suggest a strong vertical bite. ''Stegomastodons third molars molars had at least 5 lophs (ridge-like structures), greater than previous gomphotheres. The strong bite and increased tooth complexity are suggested to be adaptations to a grazing diet. Origin and evolution '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gnathabelodon
''Gnathabelodon'' is an extinct genus of gomphothere (a sister group to modern elephants) endemic to North America that includes species that lived during the Middle to Late Miocene. ''"Gnathabelodon" buckneri'' Sellards, 1940 has been renamed '' Blancotherium''. Description It has been called the "spoon-billed mastodon" since its lower jaw was elongated and shaped like a shoe-horn or spoon. The flaring of the tip of the lower jaw was similar to that of the " shovel-tuskers" ('' Platybelodon'' and '' Amebelodon''); however, ''Gnathabelodon'' species are distinct in having no lower tusks whilst the "shovel tuskers" have broad, flattened lower tusks. The presence of a long lower jaw but no lower tusks is highly unusual among proboscideans, and only shared with '' Eubelodon'' and '' Choerolophodon.'' The upper tusks are large and curve outwards and upwards. With respect to dentition and overall body form, it was similar to species of '' Gomphotherium'', but Mothe et al. (2016) reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinomastodon
''Sinomastodon'' ("Chinese mastodont") is an extinct gomphothere genus (of order Proboscidea) known from the Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene of Asia, including China, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia and probably Kashmir. Extinct animals of Indonesia Description ''Sinomastodon'', in comparison to earlier gomphotheres, had a shortened (brevirostrine) lower jaw that lacked permanent tusks/incisors. The skull was proportionally relatively short. The upper tusks, which are circular in cross-section, are upward curving and lack enamel bands. The molar teeth were triolophodont and bunodont. One individual of ''S. hanjiangensis,'' suggested to about 30-years-old, is estimated to have been about tall and weighed . Taxonomy and evolution The taxonomic position of ''Sinomastodon'' is disputed. Some authors suggest that ''Sinomastodon'' originated from North American gomphotheres that migrated into Asia. Position according to Mothé et al. 2016 supporting this hypothesis, showing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Choerolophodon
''Choerolophodon'' is an extinct genus of proboscidean that lived during the Miocene of Eurasia and Africa. Fossils of ''Choerolophodon'' have been found in Africa, Southeast Europe, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and China.Chunxiao Li, Shi-Qi Wang, Dimila Mothé & Xijun Ni (2019) New fossils of early and middle Miocene Choerolophodon from northern China reveal a Holarctic distribution of Choerolophodontidae, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2019.1618864 Description The tusks growing from the upper jaw are long and strongly curved, with one large mostly complete tusk from the Chalkidiki Peninsula of Greece having a total length of around , with a likely total weight when complete of around . The molar teeth are trilophodont and bunodont. The half-lophids are chevroned. The accessory conules are multiplied (choerodont), and the enamel is corrugated (ptychodont). The lower jaw has an unusual combination of being long, but lacking tusks/incis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Notiomastodon
''Notiomastodon'' is an extinct genus of gomphothere proboscidean (related to modern elephants), endemic to South America from the Pleistocene to the early Holocene. ''Notiomastodon'' specimens reached a size similar to that of the modern Asian elephant, with a body mass of 3-4 tonnes. Like other brevirostrine gomphotheres such as '' Cuvieronius'' and '' Stegomastodon'', ''Notiomastodon'' had a shortened lower jaw and lacked lower tusks, unlike more primitive gomphotheres like '' Gomphotherium''. The genus was originally named in 1929, and has been controversial in the course of taxonomic history as it has frequently been confused with or synonymized with forms called ''Haplomastodon'' and ''Stegomastodon''. Extensive anatomical studies since the 2010s have shown that ''Notiomastodon'' represents the only valid proboscidean in lowland South America, ''Haplomastodon'' is synonymous and ''Stegomastodon'' is limited to North America, with the only other gomphothere in South America ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Alroy
John Alroy is a paleobiologist born in New York in 1966 and now residing in Sydney, Australia. Area of expertise Alroy specializes in diversity curves, speciation, and extinction of North American fossil mammals and Phanerozoic marine invertebrates, connecting regional and local diversity, taxonomic composition, body mass distributions, ecomorphology, and phylogenetic patterns to intrinsic diversity dynamics, evolutionary trends, mass extinctions, and the effects of global climate change. In a 3 September 2010 online article by Hugh Collins, a contributor for AOL Online Science, Alroy was quoted in a newly released study paper from Sydney's Macquarie University that "It would be unwise to assume that any large number of species can be lost today without forever altering the basic biological character of Earth's oceans." Education He graduated from Hunter College High School in 1984. He then received his BA from Reed College, Department of Biology, in 1989. And then his PHD ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
