Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis
Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Family: | Elephantidae |
Genus: | Palaeoloxodon |
Species: | P. mnaidriensis |
Binomial name | |
Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis (Adams, 1874)[1] | |
Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis or Elephas mnaidriensis is an extinct species of elephant from Malta and Sicily closely related to the modern Asian elephant. This elephant is a separate species with respect to the European mainland straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) and not just a smaller insular form.[2] Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis has a 90% body reduction compared to the ancestral form with having an estimated shoulder height of about 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) and a mean body weight of about 1,100 kilograms (2,400 lb).[2]
See also
References
- ↑ Adams, A.L. (1874). "On the dentition and osteology of the Maltese fossil elephant, being a description of the remains discovered by the author in Malta between the years 1860 and 1866". Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 9 (1): 1–124. plates I-XXII
- 1 2 Ferretti, M.P. (2007). The dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis from Puntali Cave, Carini (Sicily; late Middle Pleistocene): Anatomy, systematics and phylogenetic relationships. Quaternary International, Volume 182, Issue 1, May 2008, Pages 90-108.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, June 10, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.