Straight-tusked elephant

Straight-tusked elephant; Temporal range: Mid-Late Pleistocene; ~0.78–0.03 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Skeleton in Rome
	Skull in Germany
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	Elephantidae
Genus:	†Palaeoloxodon
Species:	†P. antiquus
Binomial name
	†Palaeoloxodon antiquus; (Falconer & Cautley, 1847)
	Approximate range of P. antiquus
Synonyms
	List Elephas antiquus (Falconer & Cautley, 1847); Elephas (Euelephas) antiquus (Falconer & Cautley, 1847); Elephas [Elephas] (Loxodon) priscus (Goldfuss) (Falconer, 1857); Elephas [Elephas] (Euelephas) antiquus (Falconer, 1857); Elephas Loxodon priscus Falconer, 1868; Elephas Ausonius Major, 1875; Elephas (Euelephas) antiquus var. nana Acconi, 1880; Leptodon giganteus Gunn, 1883; Elephas Gunnii Lartet, 1883; Leptodon minor Gunn, 1883; Elephas platyrhychus Gunn, 1883 and Gurells, 1897; Leptodon giganteus Gunn, 1883; Elephas (Elephas) antiquus var. minor Pohlig, 1887; Elephas (Elephas) giganteus intermedius Pohlig, 1887; Elephas meridionalis antiquitatis Portis, 1896; Elephas antiquus var. insularis Pohlig, 1887; Elephas antiquus germanicus Stefanescu, 1924; Palaeoloxodon antiquus italicus Osborn, 1924; Palaeoloxodon antiquus (andrewsii) Osborn, 1924; Hesperoloxodon antiquus Osborn, 1934; Hesperoloxodon antiquus germanicus Osborn, 1934; Hesperoloxodon antiquus italicus Osborn, 1934; Elephas (Elephas) antiquus ruthenensis Astre, 1937; Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus? Dubrovo, 1955; Palaeoloxodon meridionaloides? Dubrovo, 1994; Loxodonta antiquus; ;

The straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) is an extinct species of elephant that inhabited Europe and Western Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene (around 781,000– 40/30,000 years ago). One of the largest known elephant species, mature fully grown bulls on average had a shoulder height of 4 metres (13 ft) and a weight of 13 tonnes (29,000 lb). Straight-tusked elephants likely lived very similarly to modern elephants, with herds of adult females and juveniles and solitary adult males. The species was primarily associated with temperate and Mediterranean woodland and forest habitats, flourishing during interglacial periods, when its range would extend across Europe as far north as Great Britain and eastwards into Russia. Skeletons found in association with stone tools and wooden spears suggest they were scavenged and hunted by early humans, including Neanderthals. It is the ancestor of most dwarf elephants that inhabited islands in the Mediterranean.

^ Benoit, J., Legendre, L. J., Tabuce, R., Obada, T., Mararescul, V., & Manger, P. (2019). Brain evolution in Proboscidea (Mammalia, Afrotheria) across the Cenozoic. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 9323. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45888-4
^ Cite error: The named reference :21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Benoit, J., Legendre, L. J., Tabuce, R., Obada, T., Mararescul, V., & Manger, P. (2019). Brain evolution in Proboscidea (Mammalia, Afrotheria) across the Cenozoic. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 9323. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45888-4

[:21-2] Cite error: The named reference :21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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Straight-tusked elephant Temporal range: Mid-Late Pleistocene ~0.78–0.03 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓

Skeleton in Rome

Skull in Germany
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	Elephantidae
Genus:	†Palaeoloxodon
Species:	†P. antiquus
Binomial name
†Palaeoloxodon antiquus (Falconer & Cautley, 1847)

Approximate range of P. antiquus
Synonyms^[2]
List Elephas antiquus (Falconer & Cautley, 1847) Elephas (Euelephas) antiquus (Falconer & Cautley, 1847) Elephas [Elephas] (Loxodon) priscus (Goldfuss) (Falconer, 1857) Elephas [Elephas] (Euelephas) antiquus (Falconer, 1857) Elephas Loxodon priscus Falconer, 1868 Elephas Ausonius Major, 1875 Elephas (Euelephas) antiquus var. nana Acconi, 1880 Leptodon giganteus Gunn, 1883 Elephas Gunnii Lartet, 1883 Leptodon minor Gunn, 1883 Elephas platyrhychus Gunn, 1883 and Gurells, 1897 Leptodon giganteus Gunn, 1883 Elephas (Elephas) antiquus var. minor Pohlig, 1887 Elephas (Elephas) giganteus intermedius Pohlig, 1887 Elephas meridionalis antiquitatis Portis, 1896 Elephas antiquus var. insularis Pohlig, 1887 Elephas antiquus germanicus Stefanescu, 1924 Palaeoloxodon antiquus italicus Osborn, 1924 Palaeoloxodon antiquus (andrewsii) Osborn, 1924 Hesperoloxodon antiquus Osborn, 1934 Hesperoloxodon antiquus germanicus Osborn, 1934 Hesperoloxodon antiquus italicus Osborn, 1934 Elephas (Elephas) antiquus ruthenensis Astre, 1937 Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus? Dubrovo, 1955 Palaeoloxodon meridionaloides? Dubrovo, 1994 Loxodonta antiquus^[1]