Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis, Pleistocene, IT
€460.00
Available, delivery time: 1-3 days
Product information "Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis, Pleistocene, IT"
RARE FIND!
A relatively well-preserved tooth from a dwarf elephant!
Period: Upper Pleistocene;
Location: Sicily
Dimensions: 10.5 x 11.5 x 6 cm
Although it closely resembled today’s Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), this elephant was much smaller. The estimated height of this species was 1.8 m, with an average weight of about 1,100 kg. This dwarf elephant lived at the same time as Palaeoloxodon antiquus, of which it was long considered an insular form before being recognized as a distinct species [1]. Compared to the large continental form, P. mnaidriensis exhibited several significant differences: in addition to the reduction in size, these include the laterally positioned eye sockets, the more strongly curved tusks, the loss of two plates on the upper third molar, zygomatic bones parallel to one another, and a more pronounced humerus; other characteristics (e.g., the larger orbits) could be associated with a pedomorphic effect due to insular dwarfism (Ferretti, 2008). Like other Palaeoloxodon species, however, P. mnaidriensis also had a prominent bony crest on the top of the skull, known as the “suprafrontal bulge” (Trevisan, 1948).
Colors on product photos may differ from those of the original specimen for technical reasons.
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