Gomphotherium
Gomphotherium Temporal range: Early Miocene–Early Pleistocene | |
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Specimen of Gomphotherium productum at the AMNH | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Family: | †Gomphotheriidae |
Genus: | †Gomphotherium Burmeister, 1837 |
Species | |
Subgenus Gomphotherium
Subgenus Genomastodon
Incertae sedis
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Synonyms | |
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Gomphotherium (/ˌɡɒmfəˈθɪəriəm/; "Welded Beast") is an extinct genus of proboscid from the Neogene and early Pleistocene of Eurasia, Africa, and North America.[2]
Description
G. productum is known from a 35-year-old male 2.51 metres (8.2 ft) tall weighing 4.6 tonnes (4.5 long tons; 5.1 short tons). Even larger is G. steinheimense, known from a complete 37-year-old male found in Mühldorf, Germany, which is 3.17 metres (10.4 ft) tall and weighed 6.7 tonnes (6.6 long tons; 7.4 short tons).[3] It had four tusks, two on the upper jaw and two on the elongated lower jaw. The lower tusks are parallel and shaped like a shovel and were probably used for digging up food from mud. Unlike modern elephants, the upper tusks were covered by a layer of enamel. Compared to elephants, the skull was more elongated and low, indicating that the animal had a short trunk, rather like a tapir's. These animals probably lived in swamps or near lakes, using their tusks to dig or scrape up aquatic vegetation. In comparison to earlier proboscids, Gomphotherium had far fewer molars; the remaining ones had high ridges to expand their grinding surface. Gomphotherium inhabited dry wooded regions near lakes.
Taxonomy
The following cladogram shows the placement of the genus Gomphotherium among other proboscideans, based on hyoid characteristics:[4]
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- Gomphotherium angustidens
- Gomphotherium productum
- G. angustidens by Charles R. Knight
- G. angustidens skeleton
- Skeletal restoration of G. productum (right) and G. steinheimense (left)
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gomphotherium. |
- ↑ http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2017.1318284
- ↑ Wang, Wei; Liao, Wei; Li, Dawei; Tian, Feng (2014-07-01). "Early Pleistocene large-mammal fauna associated with Gigantopithecus at Mohui Cave, Bubing Basin, South China". Quaternary International. 354: 122–130. ISSN 1040-6182. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.06.036.
- ↑ Larramendi, A. (2016). "Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 61. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014.
- ↑ Shoshani, J.; Tassy, P. (2005). "Advances in proboscidean taxonomy & classification, anatomy & physiology, and ecology & behavior". Quaternary International. 126–128: 5. Bibcode:2005QuInt.126....5S. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2004.04.011.