Gomphothere

Gomphothere

Taxobox
name = Gomphotheres
fossil_range = Miocene - Pliocene


image_caption = "Platybelodon" skeleton from Hubei
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Proboscidea
superfamilia = Elephantoidea
familia = Gomphotheriidae
familia_authority = Hay, 1922
subdivision_ranks = Genus
subdivision =
* ? "Gnathabelodon"
* ? "Archaeobelodon"
* ? "Protanancus"
* ? "Amebelodon"
* ? "Platybelodon"
* ? "Torybelodon"
* ? "Serbelodon"
* "Phiomia"
* "Gomphotherium"
* "Sinomastodon"
* "Eubelodon"
* "Rhynchotherium"
* "Stegomastodon"
* "Haplomastodon"
* "Notiomastodon"
* "Cuvieronius"
* ? "Anancus"
* ? "Tetralophodon"
* ? "Paratetralophodon"
* ? "Zygolophodon"
* ? "Bunolophodon"

The Gomphotheres are a diverse group of extinct elephant-like animals (proboscideans) that were widespread in North America during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, 12-1.6 million years ago. Some also lived in parts of Eurasia and Beringia, and following the Great American Interchange, in South America. From about 5 million years ago onwards, they were slowly replaced by modern elephants, but the last South American species did not finally become extinct until as recently as 400 CEcite book |editor=Palmer, D.|year=1999 |title= The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals|publisher= Marshall Editions|location=London|pages= 239-242|isbn= 1-84028-152-9] .

Gomphothere remains are common at South American Paleo-indian sites.Citation
first = J. L.
last = Prado
author-link =
first2 = M. T.
last2 = Alberdi
first3 = B.
last3 = Azanza
first4 = B.
last4 = Sánchez
first5 = D.
last5 = Frassinetti
editor-last = Cavarretta
editor-first = G.
editor2-last = Gioia
editor2-first = P.
editor3-last = Mussi
editor3-first = M.
editor4-last = Palombo
editor4-first = M. R.
contribution = The Pleistocene Gomphotheres (Proboscidea) from South America: diversity, habitats and feeding ecology
contribution-url = http://www.cq.rm.cnr.it/elephants2001/pdf/337_340.pdf
title = The World of Elephants - Proceedings of the 1st International Congress, Rome October 16-20 2001
year = 2001
pages = 337-340
place = Rome
publisher = Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
url = http://www.cq.rm.cnr.it/elephants2001/atti_en.htm
doi =
id = ISBN 88-8080-025-6
accessdate = 2008-07-25
] One example is the early human settlement at Monte Verde, Chile, dating to approximately 14,000 years ago.

Gomphotheres differed from elephants in their tooth structure, particularly the chewing surfaces on the molar teeth. Most had four tusks, and their retracted facial and nasal bones prompt paleontologists to believe that gomphotheres had elephant-like trunks. The early gomphotheres, such as "Phiomia", had elongated upper and lower jaws, with relatively short tusks. Two lineages appear to have arisen from these ancestors. One, including animals such as "Anancus", developed the short lower jaw typical of modern elephants, while the others, including "Platybelodon", developed the lower jaw into an elongated 'shovel', and shortened the upper jaw.

Classification

The systematics and phylogeny of gomphotheres are unclear and the group might in fact be paraphyletic. The genus "Gnathabelodon" is often placed in its own family, the Gnathabelodontidae, and "Archaeobelodon", "Protanancus", "Amebelodon", "Platybelodon" and "Serbelodon" are sometimes regrouped in a separate family, the Amebelodontidae. The genera "Anancus", "Tetralophodon", "Stegomastodon", "Paratetralophodon" and "Cuvieronius" are placed by some authors within the gomphotheres, while others consider them as true Elephantidae.

In 1933, "Serbelodon burnhami" (now "Amebelodon burnhami") was newly discovered and named after the celebrated scout Frederick Russell Burnham.cite journal |last=Osborn |first=Henry Fairfield |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1933 |month=June 29 |title=Serbelodon Burnhami, a new Shovel-Tusker from California |journal=American Museum Novitates |volume= |issue=639 |pages=1–5 |id= |url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/2061/1/N0639.pdf |accessdate= 2007-11-01 |quote= ]

References

External links

* [http://www.nhm.org/expeditions/rrc/geopaleo_elephants.html Short article and picture of gomphothere elephant, from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County] .
* [http://www.sierracollege.edu/EventsAthletics/NatHistMus/exhibitsIn/gomphothere.htm Description of a Gomphothere exhibit] from the website of Sierra College


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • gomphothere — noun Any of several extinct proboscideans, of the family Gomphotheriidae, from North America …   Wiktionary

  • gomphothere — noun extinct elephants of Central American and South America; of the Miocene and Pleistocene • Hypernyms: ↑elephant • Member Holonyms: ↑Gomphotherium, ↑genus Gomphotherium …   Useful english dictionary

  • Platybelodon — Taxobox name = Platybelodon image caption = skeleton at Hubei province image width = 300px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Proboscidea familia = Gomphotheriidae tribus = Amebelodontini genus = Platybelodon genus… …   Wikipedia

  • Amebelodon — Taxobox name = Amebelodon fossil range = Middle to Late Miocene regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Proboscidea familia = Gomphotheriidae genus = Amebelodon genus authority = Barbour, 1927 Amebelodon is a member of a… …   Wikipedia

  • Great American Interchange — The Great American Interchange was an important paleozoogeographic event in which land and freshwater fauna migrated from North America via Central America to South America and vice versa, as the volcanic Isthmus of Panama rose up from the sea… …   Wikipedia

  • Stegomastodon — Taxobox name = Stegomastodon status = fossil fossil range = Late Pliocene to Pleistocene regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Proboscidea familia = Gomphotheriidae genus = Stegomastodon genus authority = Pohlig, 1912… …   Wikipedia

  • 5th century — The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini/Common Era. Overview This century is noted for being a time of repeated disaster and instability both internally and externally for the Western… …   Wikipedia

  • Osage-orange — Taxobox image width = 250px image caption = Osage orange foliage and fruit regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Rosales familia = Moraceae genus = Maclura species = M. pomifera binomial = Maclura pomifera… …   Wikipedia

  • Avocado — taxobox name = Alvacodo image caption = Avocado fruit and foliage, Huntington Library, California regnum = Plantae unranked divisio = Angiosperms unranked classis = Magnoliids ordo = Laurales familia = Lauraceae genus = Persea species = P.… …   Wikipedia

  • Mastodon — This article is about the animal. For the American metal band, see Mastodon (band). For other uses, see Mastodon (disambiguation). Mammut redirects here. For the German motorcycle, see Münch (motorcycles). For the German radar, see Mammut radar.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”