Gomphotherium

Gomphotherium; Temporal range: Early Miocene–Early Pleistocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Specimen of Gomphotherium productum at the AMNH
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
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 ; 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;

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

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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

^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Larramendi, A. (2016). "Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 61. doi:10.4202/app.00136.2014.
^ 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.

[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.

[proboscideans-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.

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