Phiomia

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Phiomia
Fossil range: Late Eocene to Early Oligocene

Fossil

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	Phiomiidae
Genus:	Phiomia
Species:	P. serridens

Binomial name

Phiomia serridens
Andrews & Beadnell, 1902

Phiomia serridens is an extinct species of basal proboscid that lived in what is now Eastern Africa during the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene some 35 million years ago. Its name means "Saw-toothed [animal] of Faiyum".

The 2.5 metre (8 ft) tall animal vaguely resembled a modern elephant, but had a much shorter trunk (based on the shape of its nasal bones), short tusks on the upper jaw and also short shovel-like tusks on the lower jaw that were most likely used for gathering food. These were similar to those of the Miocene Platybelodon and Amebelodon, but smaller. Some scientists believe that the shorter tusks in its upper jaw may have been used as weapons.^{[citation needed]}