Proboscidea (Elephants)

• Main Author: Shoshani, Jeheskel
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2001
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npg.els.0001575; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1038/npg.els.0001575; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1038/npg.els.0001575

Abstract Proboscidea – the living elephants and their fossil relatives – are of ungulate origin, dating to the late Palaeocene of northeast Africa and spread to all continents except Australia and Antarctica. The earliest proboscideans were characterized by the presence of a prominent and hooked coracoid process on the scapula (shoulder blade), and a medial process on the astragalus (ankle bone). Advanced proboscideans have pneumatized bones in the cranium, a developed proboscis (trunk), horizontal (rather than the usual vertical) tooth displacement, tusks that exhibit Schreger pattern in a cross‐section, and possess a temporal gland. The estimated number of fossil and living species and subspecies of proboscideans is 165, of which only three are alive today.