''Konobelodon'' is an extinct genus of amebelodont proboscidean from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), 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 mea ...

of Africa, Eurasia and North America.

Taxonomy

''Konobelodon'' was originally coined as a subgenus of ''

Amebelodon ''Amebelodon'' is a genus of extinct proboscidean belonging to Amebelodontidae (the so-called shovel-tuskers). The most striking attribute of this animal is its lower tusks, which are narrow, elongated, and distinctly flattened with the degree o ...

'', and was subsequently elevated to full generic rank in a 2014 re-appraisal of ''"Mastodon" atticus''. Within Amebelodontinae, ''Konobelodon'' is closely related to ''

Platybelodon ''Platybelodon'' (possibly "shovel tooth") is an extinct genus of Amebelodontidae, amebelodontid proboscidean mammal, distantly related to modern-day elephants. Fossils are known from middle Miocene strata from parts of Asia and the Caucasus. The ...

'' and ''

Torynobelodon ''Torynobelodon'' was a genus of large herbivorous mammal related to the elephant (order Proboscidea). It lived during the late Miocene Epoch in Asia and North America. Taxonomy Shoshani (1996) placed ''Torynobelodon'' as a synonym of ''Platyb ...

''. The genus ''Konobelodon'' likely originated in eastern Eurasia, with ''K. robustus'' being known from the Liushu Formation in the

Gansu Province Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Under this hypothesis, it diverged via separate migrations westward into Europe and western Asia, represented by ''K. atticus'', and eastward into North America, where the genus arrived c. 7 Ma and survived until the very end of the Miocene. The species ''Konobelodon cyrenaicus'' is known from the Late Miocene of North Africa, representing the latest surviving amebelodont on the African continent.

Description

As shovel-tusked amebelodonts, ''Konobelodon'' has two pairs of

tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...

s, one growing from the upper jaw and a second from the lower. ''K. robustus'' is estimated to have had a body mass between , making it generally larger than most gomphotheres on account of its thicker limb bones. Its standing posture, however, was not likely as column-like as that of extant

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

s and American brevirostrine gomphotheres. The lower tusks were proportionally large, reaching in length.

Ecology

''Konobelodon'' is suggested to have been a browser, based on dental microwear analysis. The upper tusks were likely used for slicing and scraping, while the lower tusks may have been used for digging.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25095366 Amebelodontidae Miocene proboscideans Miocene mammals of North America Miocene mammals of Asia Miocene mammals of Europe Prehistoric placental genera Tortonian first appearances Messinian extinctions Fossil taxa described in 1990