Gomphotherium

Gomphotherium (/ˌɡɒmfəˈθɪəriəm/; "welded beast") is an extinct genus of proboscids from the Neogene and early Pleistocene of Eurasia, Africa, North America and possibly also Asia.[2]

Gomphotherium Temporal range: Early Miocene–Middle Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Specimen of G. productum (AMNH)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	†Gomphotheriidae
Genus:	†Gomphotherium Burmeister, 1837
Species
Subgenus Gomphotherium G. angustidens (Cuvier, 1817) (type) G. annectens (Matsumoto, 1925) G. browni (Osborn, 1926) G. connexum Hopwood, 1935 G. cooperi (Osborn, 1932) G. hannibali Welcomme, 1994 G. inopinatum (Borissiak and Belyaeva, 1928) G. libycum (Fourtau, 1918) G. mongoliense (Osborn, 1924) G. obscurum (Leidy, 1869) G. pojoaquensis (Frick, 1933) G. productum (Cope, 1874) G. pygmaeus (Deperet, 1897) G. riograndensis (Frick, 1933) G. steinheimensis (Klahn, 1922) G. subtapiroideum (Schlesinger, 1917) G. sylvaticum Tassy, 1985 G. wimani Hopwood, 1935 G. tassyi Wang, Li, Duangkrayom, Yang, He & Chen, 2017[1] Subgenus Genomastodon G. osborni (Barbour, 1916) G. willistoni (Barbour, 1914) Incertae sedis G. calvertensis Gazin and Collins 1950
Synonyms
Trilophodon Falconer and Cautley, 1846 Tetrabelodon Cope, 1884 Serridentinus Osborn, 1923 Tatabelodon Frick 1933

Description

G. productum is known from a 35-year-old male 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in) tall weighing 4.6 t (4.5 long tons; 5.1 short tons). Even larger is G. steinheimense, known from a complete 37-year-old male found in Mühldorf, Germany, which is 3.17 m (10.4 ft) tall and weighed 6.7 t (6.6 long tons; 7.4 short tons).[3] It had four tusks, two on the upper jaw and two on the elongated lower jaw. The lower tusks are parallel and shaped like a shovel and were probably used for digging up food from mud. Unlike modern elephants, the upper tusks were covered by a layer of enamel. Compared to elephants, the skull was more elongated and low, indicating that the animal had a short trunk, rather like a tapir's. These animals probably lived in swamps or near lakes, using their tusks to dig or scrape up aquatic vegetation. In comparison to earlier proboscids, Gomphotherium had far fewer molars; the remaining ones had high ridges to expand their grinding surfaces. Gomphotherium spp. inhabited dry wooded regions near lakes.

Taxonomy

The following cladogram shows the placement of the genus Gomphotherium among other proboscideans, based on hyoid characteristics:[4]

	Mammut americanum (American mastodon)       Gomphotherium sp.       Stegodon zdanskyi       Loxodonta africana (African elephant)       Elephas maximus (Asian elephant)     Mammuthus columbi (Columbian mammoth)

• 
  Gomphotherium angustidens
• 
  Gomphotherium productum
• 
  G. angustidens by Charles R. Knight
• 
  G. angustidens skeleton
• 
  Skeletal restoration of G. productum (right) and G. steinheimense (left)

References

1. Wang, Shi-Qi; Li, Yu; Duangkrayom, Jaroon; Yang, Xiang-Wen; He, Wen; Chen, Shan-Qin (2017). "A new species of Gomphotherium (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from China and the evolution of Gomphotherium in Eurasia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 37 (3): e1318284. doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1318284.
2. Wang, Wei; Liao, Wei; Li, Dawei; Tian, Feng (1 July 2014). "Early Pleistocene large-mammal fauna associated with Gigantopithecus at Mohui Cave, Bubing Basin, South China". Quaternary International. 354: 122–130. Bibcode:2014QuInt.354..122W. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.06.036. ISSN 1040-6182.
3. Larramendi, A. (2016). "Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 61. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014.
4. Shoshani, J.; Tassy, P. (2005). "Advances in proboscidean taxonomy & classification, anatomy & physiology, and ecology & behavior". Quaternary International. 126–128: 5–20. Bibcode:2005QuInt.126....5S. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2004.04.011.