Konobelodon Temporal range:
Miocene,
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Mandible of Konobelodon britti on display at the State Museum of Pennsylvania | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Family: | † Amebelodontidae |
Genus: | †
Konobelodon Lambert, 1990 |
Species | |
Konobelodon is an extinct genus of amebelodont proboscidean from the Miocene of Africa, Eurasia and North America.
Konobelodon was originally coined as a subgenus of Amebelodon, [2] and was subsequently elevated to full generic rank in a 2014 re-appraisal of "Mastodon" atticus. [3] Within Amebelodontinae, Konobelodon is closely related to Platybelodon and Torynobelodon. [1] The genus Konobelodon likely originated in eastern Eurasia, with K. robustus being known from the Liushu Formation in the Gansu Province of China. [4] Under this hypothesis, it diverged via separate migrations westward into Europe and western Asia, represented by K. atticus, and eastward into North America, where the genus arrived c. 7 Ma and survived until the very end of the Miocene. [3] The species Konobelodon cyrenaicus is known from the Late Miocene of North Africa, representing the latest surviving amebelodont on the African continent. [5]
As shovel-tusked amebelodonts, Konobelodon has two pairs of tusks, one growing from the upper jaw and a second from the lower. K. robustus is estimated to have had a body mass between 2,802–7,367 kilograms (6,177–16,241 lb), making it generally larger than most gomphotheres on account of its thicker limb bones. Its standing posture, however, was not likely as column-like as that of extant elephants and American brevirostrine gomphotheres. [4] The lower tusks were proportionally large, reaching 1.61 metres (5.3 ft) in length. [6]
Konobelodon is suggested to have been a browser, based on dental microwear analysis. The upper tusks were likely used for slicing and scraping, while the lower tusks may have been used for digging. [7]
Konobelodon Temporal range:
Miocene,
| |
---|---|
Mandible of Konobelodon britti on display at the State Museum of Pennsylvania | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Family: | † Amebelodontidae |
Genus: | †
Konobelodon Lambert, 1990 |
Species | |
Konobelodon is an extinct genus of amebelodont proboscidean from the Miocene of Africa, Eurasia and North America.
Konobelodon was originally coined as a subgenus of Amebelodon, [2] and was subsequently elevated to full generic rank in a 2014 re-appraisal of "Mastodon" atticus. [3] Within Amebelodontinae, Konobelodon is closely related to Platybelodon and Torynobelodon. [1] The genus Konobelodon likely originated in eastern Eurasia, with K. robustus being known from the Liushu Formation in the Gansu Province of China. [4] Under this hypothesis, it diverged via separate migrations westward into Europe and western Asia, represented by K. atticus, and eastward into North America, where the genus arrived c. 7 Ma and survived until the very end of the Miocene. [3] The species Konobelodon cyrenaicus is known from the Late Miocene of North Africa, representing the latest surviving amebelodont on the African continent. [5]
As shovel-tusked amebelodonts, Konobelodon has two pairs of tusks, one growing from the upper jaw and a second from the lower. K. robustus is estimated to have had a body mass between 2,802–7,367 kilograms (6,177–16,241 lb), making it generally larger than most gomphotheres on account of its thicker limb bones. Its standing posture, however, was not likely as column-like as that of extant elephants and American brevirostrine gomphotheres. [4] The lower tusks were proportionally large, reaching 1.61 metres (5.3 ft) in length. [6]
Konobelodon is suggested to have been a browser, based on dental microwear analysis. The upper tusks were likely used for slicing and scraping, while the lower tusks may have been used for digging. [7]