Gomphothere
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| iGomphotheres
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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.
Gomphotheres differed from elephants in their tooth structure, particularly the chewing surfaces on the molar teeth. Most had four tusks, and its retracted facial and nasal bones prompt paleontologists to believe that Gomphotheres had elephant-like trunks.
Examples of Gompotheres are the extinct genera Gomphotherium, Platybelodon Amebelodon and the very recently extinct Cuvieronius.
Gomphotheres are also believed to be important dispersers of many plants that are now considered anachronisms, including some wild papayas and avocados that are considered inedible by modern humans.
The systematic 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, Protonancus, Amebelodon, Platybelodon and Serbelodon are sometimes regrouped in a separate family, the Amebelodontidae. The genera Anancus, Tetralophodon and Paratetralophodon are placed by some authors within the gomphotheres, while others consider them as true Elephantidae.
[edit] External links
- Gomphothere: An Elephant Ancestor, an article from the Dallas Museum of Natural History
- Description of a Gomphothere exhibit from the website of Sierra Collegede:Gomphotherium
es:Gomphoterium fr:Gomphotherium nl:Gomphotheriidae pl:Gomfoteria
