Homphoterias [1] ( lat. Gomphotherium , from other Greek. Γομφο- + θηρίον " knocked together beast" or "beast with pegs") is an extinct genus of proboscis . Outdated synonyms - trilophodone , tetrabelodone , serridentin .
† Gomfoterii | ||||||||||||||||
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 Gomphotherium productum skeleton at American Museum of Natural History | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gomphoterium Burmeister , 1837 | ||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms:
- Trilophodon
- Tetrabelodon
- Serridentinus
It arose in the Early Miocene in North America, existed in the period 13.650-3.6 million years ago. The genus later migrated to Asia, Europe and Africa due to a drop in sea level (probably during the Tarton era) [2] . The genus lived to the Pliocene : the remains of this time were found in Chile , France , Germany , Austria , Kansas , Tennessee , Pakistan , Kenya and Bosnia and Herzegovina [3] .
Description
The growth of homfoteria was about 3 meters. Outwardly, it strongly resembled modern elephants , but it had not one, but two pairs of tusks: one pair on the upper jaw and one on an elongated lower. The lower tusks were parallel to each other and had the shape of a flat shovel, which was probably used for digging the ground. Unlike modern elephants, the upper tusks were covered with a layer of enamel. Compared to elephants, the skull was more elongated and lower set, which indicates the presence of a short trunk, as in modern tapirs .
Homphoterias apparently lived in marshy areas or near lakes, using their tusks to dig up coastal vegetation. Compared to earlier proboscis, homfoterium had much fewer molars ; the rest of the teeth had high ridges to expand the chewing surface.
A complete skeleton of homfoteria was discovered at Mühldorf in Germany in 1971.
Notes
- ↑ Alifanov V.R., Kirillova I.V. Overview of the pre-Quaternary vertebrates of Sakhalin // Scientific notes of Sakhalin State University : collection of scientific articles / Ch. ed. and comp. T.K. Zlobin. - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: SakhSU , 2008. - Issue. VII. - S. 44.
- ↑ Alberdi, MT; Prado, JL; Ortiz-Jaureguizar, E. & Posadas, P. (2007), "Historical Biogeography of Trilophoont Gomphotheres (Mammalia, Proboscidea) Reconstructed Applying Dispersion-Vicariance Analysis" , in Díaz-Martínez, E. & Rábano, I., Proceedings of the 4th European Meeting on the Palaeontology and Stratigraphy of Latin America, Zaragoza Spain 17–19 September 2007 , Madrid: Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, p. 9-14, ISBN 978-84-7840-707-1
- ↑ U Tomislavgradu otkriven kostur pretka slona , Večernji list, 2011-08-18. Retrieved 2011-08-26 (Croatian)
Links
- The genus gomphoterium, ancestor of mammoths and elephants
- http://www.aolnews.com/science/article/prehistoric-fossils-unearthed-in-jim-leydens-tenn-backyard/19541513?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl1%7Clink3%7Chttp://www.aolnews. com / science / article / prehistoric-fossils-unearthed-in-jim-leydens-tenn-backyard / 19541513